Time Heals All Wounds
by smilelaughread
Summary: ... or does love heal all wounds? R&R please
1. Part I

**A/N The timeline is a bit... odd. Harry, Hermione, and Ron missed their seventh year at Hogwarts, so this is them doing it. Due to the war that had been going on, McGonagall gave all of the seventh years a chance to return to school, redo it, and to do their NEWTS. Most accepted, let's leave it at that.**

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><p><strong>Monday, February 12<strong>

She stared out the window, silent tears running down her face. The other girls in her dormitory were all asleep, and she didn't worry that they would hear her, she had cast an Imperturbable Charm on her bed, so no one would see or hear her. The past few weeks had been absolute _hell_.

_Flashback:_

_Merlin's beard! Hermione thought, her forehead pressed against the cool glass on the window of the train. _

_ "I can't believe we're on our way to Hogwarts!" she exclaimed, fidgeting excitedly._

_ "Yes Hermione, we know. You've been repeating it ever since we got the letters from McGonagall last week" said Ron, rolling his eyes slightly at his girlfriends' enthusiasm at returning to school. Even with the prospect of spending time with Hermione, he had been less than eager to return to school. _

_ "Merlin knows you're going to run out of money someday!" his mother had yelled "go, finish your schooling so you can get a respectable job!"_

_Mrs. Weasley - to get her youngest son to finish his schooling - had taken away his favourite thing in the world: food. She had banned him from the kitchen until he agreed to accompany his two best friends to Hogwarts... It was needless to say that he didn't last very long, and caved the next afternoon. Harry, in Ron's opinion, wouldn't have returned at all, but seeing Hermione and Ron planning on going back to Hogwarts had forced him to do the same. It didn't hurt that Ginny was going back as well.  
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_ Hermione squealed again, spotting Hogwarts in the distance. She turned to Ron and Harry and gave them both hugs. To stop her endless exclamations, Ron captured her lips with his. Harry groaned, averting his eyes... again._ _Ron and Hermione's lips melted together. She put all of her love for Ron into the kiss, exploring his dark, wet mouth with her tongue. He, on the other hand, wasn't kissing her out of passion, simply out of habit... and to shut her up._

_ All too soon (for Hermione), Ron pulled away, panting slightly. Hermione turned back to the window._

_A week later, they had all been shown their rooms, and had gotten situated. Monday morning, Hermione woke up, bright and early. She hopped over to the bathroom, taking a quick- but cleansing- shower. She slipped on her robes, placed her wand in her sleeve, grabbed her books for the day, and made her way to the Great Hall._

_ The day passed quickly, as did the rest of that week, and the next. _

_She began to settle into a routine, becoming comfortable with her class schedule, waking up early, sharing her room and washroom with others, dining in the Great Hall, and ever-present magic in the castle. __Hermione was sitting in a chair in the Gryffindor common room. It was well past midnight and she was finishing a Muggle Studies essay. She heard footsteps come down the boy's staircase, but wasn't expecting arms to wrap around her. Hermione twisted her head around, grinning when she noticed it was Ron. He leaned down to kiss her, gently pulling her arms, leading her to the couch. She pushed him back, and straddled him, deepening the kiss. His tongue snaking into her mouth, tasting her. Their tongues danced passionately, moving from one mouth to the other. Her hands were pressed against his chest between them. She fisted her hands, slightly crinkling the fabric of his shirt. He reaches behind her, and gently pinched her bum. She decided to go with it, and didn't let his advance faze her. Then, feeling more confident, he reached between them, gently running his hands over the swells of her breasts, hoping she wouldn't mind._

_She did mind... but let it slide again. _

_He began pinching slightly, rubbing his fingers across her nipples, wanting to hear a response from her. His wish was fulfilled when she moaned quietly, before recapturing his lips with her own. _

_His hands traveled south, but before he could reach his "destination", she pulled away, standing up. Her face was flushed with arousal, but she said _

_"We need to stop, I don't want to... go any further."_

_Ron stood up, his arousal present in the bulge in his pants, but he turned away, respecting Hermione's wishes._

_The next evening unfolded the same way, he kissed her, touched her, then she pushed him away before anything could really happen._

_However, the next night, he wasn't ready to stop. he pushed her onto the couch, pinning her underneath him. He peppered her face, her neck, her collarbone- with kisses. She felt odd, not very aroused._

_"What's wrong Hermione?" he asked, worriedly. She had always responded well to his advances. She shrugged, pushing him off of her._

_"I don't know Ron, I'm not in the mood... I guess." _

_She walked up to her dormitory, and took a shower, rubbing the places he had kissed. She didn't know why, but right now, she didn't want his essence on her. Not his kisses, his touch, his soft caresses. She scrubbed and scrubbed until her skin was pink and raw. Then, she slipped under her covers, and promptly fell asleep, forgetting all about the incident.  
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_The next morning, she felt groggy at breakfast, as if she hadn't slept very well. Ron put his arm around her, as he always did at breakfast, and she shrugged him off. He looked at her, worried. _

_"Are you alright Hermione?" he asked._

_She nodded, and silently began eating, not in the mood to talk to anyone, not Ron, not Harry. She heard them go back to their Quidditch conversation, debating on whether or not being a keeper was more dangerous than being a seeker or something like that. She sighed, getting a headache from all of it, and stood up. A hand grabbed her arm, but she continued to push her way out of the hall. Ron followed her, and when they were in the hallway, he tried to kiss her, but she turned her head. Instead of a kiss, Ron got a mouthful of soft brown curls.  
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_"Ron... Ron!" she tried to get his attention. _

_"Yeah, 'Mione?" he answered._

_"Can we... I don't know how to say this nicely... I want to break up." she said.  
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"_Wha-You WHAT?" he bellowed, looking bewildered "Why would you want to break up? I thought we were good!"_

_"I don't... I don't think I love you anymore Ron." she answered, answering both his question and the one in her head. "I think I should focus on my studies this year. I don't think I should be in a relationship. It has nothing to do with you. Maybe after school ends?" She knew how hopeless and selfish that sounded.  
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_He shook his head, not understanding. "Alright, Hermione. Goodbye"_

_He turned, and left. She surprised herself by realizing she didn't care._

_The next morning, he had acted as though she hadn't said anything about breaking up. She got fed up, and shouted at him for half an hour._

_ He avoided her the rest of the day, and she knew she had managed to get one of her best friends very upset, but, the next morning, to her surprise (and slight annoyance) he begged with her all day. He apologized and pleaded with her for the better part of the day. Then, all of a sudden, it seemed that he got the hint. She didn't want him anymore. He hid in his room the rest of the day, and she felt a slight pain in her chest when Harry informed her that Ron had been crying. _

_"Hermione, what the hell?" Harry yelled_

_"What?"_

_"Ron has been lying on his bed, crying for the past two hours"_

_"I know, Harry. Trust me, I didn't want to hurt him... I just... don't love him anymore."  
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_To her dismay, Harry proceeded to call her a selfish bitch, stringing Ron along for years, and then pushing him away when he finally mustered up the courage to ask her out. He called her many other names, including a cold, heartless girl, not caring that her boyfriend- or at least her friend- was crying his eyes out. She didn't know where all this hate had come from, but she accepted his words, knowing they had all just come out of a war, and that they were all still tense and stressed. _

_She had burst into tears after the hurtful insults, and started to run up the stairs. The last thing she heard before closing the door to her dormitory was "...now you see how Ron feels. Cry, it's not like you have anyone left to care about y..." that's where she had closed the door, and cried until she passed out. _

_Harry had every right to be mad at her, she knew that. He had been best friends with Ron __before__ becoming friends with her, and he had always taken Ron's side, in every fight the Hermione and Ron had. Even while they were looking for the horcruxes, Harry had only stayed with her because she was being helpful, otherwise he would have followed Ron. But now he had gone so far as to imply that he and Ron (and the rest of the Weasleys) would never care about her anymore, all because she had ended things. _

_She couldn't even tell her parents about it because she hadn't been able to find a way to return their memories. _

_Ron and Harry ignored her after that, and she began taking her hurt feelings out on anyone who dared to come into a two-meter radius from her. Because of that, all of the Gryffindors avoided her like the plague. They shot her dirty looks... when they even bothered to look at her at all. The other houses seemed confused at this behaviour, and she was slightly thankful Harry and Ron weren't the type to spread rumours, although some were popping up, mostly from the Slytherins. None of them were true, and she knew they were just poking fun at her, but it still hurt!  
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_End flashback_

She knew her grades were slipping. She hadn't gotten an Outstanding at all this year, and her Exceeds Expectations marks were slowly becoming Acceptables. In class she had stopped raising her hand, not being able to handle the glares she got from some of the other students when she got a question right that they hadn't. She was sure her teachers had noticed, but she couldn't even muster up enough energy to be mad that no one had talked to her, or sent Professor McGonagall to. She blinked slowly, realizing it was already almost dawn. She hadn't slept for days, but was scared that, should she sleep, she would wake up and find her possessions and clothes trashed, like she had last week. She slowly took down the Imperturbable Charm, and made her way to the bathroom, scooping up some clothes, not caring that they didn't match in the slightest. She took a long shower, charming the water to make it almost icy cold, to wake her up. As she walked out and slipped on her clothes, she cast some glamours on herself, one on her face to mask the dreadful bruise-like smudges under her eyes, and the redness that was the result of many hours spent crying.

She looked at the clock, hoping it would read some time near half six, so that she could get down to the Great Hall, eat, and leave before many people arrived. As luck would have it, it was 7:40. She rushed down the many flights of stairs, and pulled open the heavy doors that lead to the Great Hall. She breathed a small sigh of relief; asides from her, there were only about ten other students here; Seven from Hufflepuff, three from Ravenclaw. Also in the room were Professor McGonagall, and- he was sitting so silently and stiffly that her eyes almost skipped over him- Professor Snape.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table, glad to be alone, and took a few sausages, piled them on her plate, took some bread, and some eggs, and started eating. She ate slower than usual, although when she noticed more students walking in, she sped up, shoveling food into her mouth.

She almost spit it out when Professor Snape walked past "Slow down Miss Granger," he said with a slight smirk "a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips". Then, he simply kept on walking. She knew she should act as though the comment didn't bother her, but instead, she swallowed hastily, grabbed her bag, and ran out, passing him, tears brimming in her eyes. She knew some of the the Slytherin students were nasty, but he was a_ professor..._ Well, he was head of the Snake house... it was probably, no, _definitely_ because he was just as bad as the rest of them.

He was left standing there, his forced smirk pasted on his lips, and watched as she rushed out, the tears in her eyes nearly spilling over. He would think about this later, he reasoned, because now, he had to get ready for class._  
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><p><strong>AN I don't know exactly where this is going to go, or how long it will be, but here is the first chapter of my story. 30 house points will be awarded to the person who figures out what TV show I got the "**a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" **thing...**

**Please review.**

**ps. The next chapter will (hopefully) be longer!**


	2. Part II

**A/N This takes place the same day that the last chapter took place. (JKR owns all of this...except the plot. sigh!)  
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He woke up, his hair fanning his face. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to rid them of all signs of sleep. He pushed off the thick covers and got up, pushing his green and silver hangings out of the way. He got up, stretched, and made his way over to his trunk, where he kept some of his clothes. He pulled out some undergarments, a green shirt and some trousers, and then walked over to a chair that was pushed up against the wall. He lifted his school robes off of it, where he had placed them yesterday, out of habit. He was glad that Professor McGonagall had cleaned out some of the older classrooms that were here in the dungeons. She had even converted them into bedrooms. This meant that all of the Slytherin eighth years got their own rooms, which the other houses' students were all slightly jealous of, although they were all too proud to say anything of the sort.

He pushed open the door to the bathroom that was connected to his room by a little hallway. He splashed some cold water on his face from the sink, and then stepped toward the small shower. Actually, it wasn't that small. In fact, you could do a full circle with your arms outstretched and not touch the wall. He shrugged, his mind already moving on. He began pulling his clothes off, getting ready to take a short shower before classes. Just when he was about to step out of his pyjama pants, there was a knock at his door. Who would be at my door this early in the morning, he thought, his mind racing. He rushed to open the door, and when he opened it, he saw Snape, and sighed, but gestured into his room. The older man took this as an informal invitation into the room, and stepped it. "What?" Draco asked, slightly annoyed.

"May I sit down?" Snape replied. Draco simply shrugged, so he lowered himself on Draco's still unmade bed. "I apologize for interrupting... your shower? or perhaps waking you up?" he asked the younger boy, noticing his bare chest. Draco shrugged again, but his cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassed that he hadn't remembered to pull on a shirt before answering the door. "Well then, I don't plan on staying long, but I wanted to speak to you about a few things in your father's will, which, speaking of it, the ministry _finally _released" Snape said. Draco nodded, intrigued. "In it, he states that Malfoy Manor is to be yours, as well as all of the house elves, books, furniture, and valuables that are also in there." he paused, waiting for his godson to absorb the information. He looked around Draco's room, seeing the bare walls that he hadn't filled up with posters and photos. His eyes were drawn back to the boy when Draco cleared his throat "I don't want that place, he has done so much in there: raped, killed, tortured, fought... I don't want anything to do with it" Draco said, an unusual note of pain in his typically void-of-all-emotions voice. His Professor nodded "Yes, I thought as much, which is why I wanted to ask you what you plan to do with it. There are a few options. You could give it to the ministry, maybe a distant family memb-"

"Can we sell it?" Draco asked, cutting him off.

"We could...but Draco, that house has been in your family for generations-"

Draco cut him off again "I do _not_ want it" he repeated "I don't care how many generations of psychopaths have lived there, and I have no desire to find out... Please Severus?" Draco finished his sentence in such a small voice that Snape nodded, relenting.

"I don't know exactly how long it will take to banish the ghosts that are undoubtedly floating all around the place, or how long it will take to clear it of all of the things with the Malfoy family crest on them, but we will do it, and then we will give it to the ministry to check over, and sell." he looked over at Draco's face.

Draco was so young, yet he looked so _old. _Not old in looks, but the young man had scars, both visible and mental, had gone through a war, betraying the lord his father worshiped, being sent to kill his headmaster just to keep up his image. He had gotten the dark mark for the cause as well, which would mark him as evil for the rest of his days in the eyes of society. Many people believed he was a death eater, and although he had been pronounced innocent at his trial, and they would continue thinking that. He was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Draco's voice

"I think that would be great, thank you for helping me through this." He said, and Snape nodded. He knew, many people would pity Draco right now, but Snape didn't pity the boy. Instead, he felt like he could relate to Draco more than anyone on this planet. He had, like Draco, also given up his childhood to the Dark Lord. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Draco stand up, and knew that Draco had dismissed him. He hastily stood up, and walked over to the door.

"See you in potions, Draco" he called over his shoulder as he exited the room, not quite sure the boy had heard him.

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><p>He gathered up his robes, and made his way purposefully through the dungeons, glad that Slytherin didn't appear to have many early risers, and made his way to breakfast. As he stepped into the Great Hall, he surveyed the room, noticing only eight students, most of them scribbling away, finishing some last-minute homework, most likely. As he slid into his usual spot at the head table, McGonagall greeted him<p>

"Good morning Severus" she said "I trust you spoke to Mister Malfoy?"

He nodded curtly "He reacted just as I expected him to. I will be helping him clear out the manor, and then he will sell it."

"Very well" she said, obviously uninterested in the conversation, and then turned back to her plate. He knew she hadn't wished to speak to him, but had instead felt obligated to do so, being the Headmistress and all... It didn't hurt his feelings, he had often ignored or done the same to her... it was expected.

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><p>Ron woke up, his head feeling clear...weirdly clear. He had noticed that in the mornings and late at night, his head didn't feel hazy and he felt more in control of his actions than during the day. How curious, he thought, wondering what was making him feel like that. The alarm clock on his bedside table went off, signaling that it was quarter to eight, and he slowly felt the foggy feeling take over his head once again. He only had time for one thought before his consciousness was sent to the drivers seat in his brain. <em>I wonder what Hermione has been up to, I should ask her if she wants to get more intimate. I think it is high time we <em>got to know_ each other better..._

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><p>Harry woke up when Ron's alarm clock went off. He groaned, his arms and legs aching. For a moment, he wondered why on earth he would be so sore, when he hazily remembered yesterday's quiddich practice. He pushed the hangings that were pulled around his bed back, and got up, ready to start the morning. Suddenly, his movements stopped, and a familiar cloudy feeling overtook his senses. It was something he had experienced before, but in this mentally challenged state, he couldn't think of what it was. He lost control of his movements altogether after thinking of the curse that caused the hazy out-of-control feeling... Imperio!<p>

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><p>When he stepped out of the shower five minutes later, Draco felt much better. He was, by now, fully awake, and well aware of the fact that if he didn't hurry up and get to breakfast, he would risk having to sit near people. With that thought in mind, he quickly dried himself off, and pulled on his underwear. Then, he looked up at the mirror that had been charmed against fogging up, and began rubbing the thick potion Snape had given him after the war (a cream to get rid of scars and other battle wounds) into his skin. He began from his stomach, where there were many scars. Many of them had been from the battle itself, but some were the result of being cursed. When some of the death eaters had noticed him fighting for the "good" side instead of the "dark" side, they had placed a curse on him. Unfortunately, it was one that didn't disappear after the one who cast it died. For months after the dark side fell, whenever he was within a two meter radius of a knife, the knife would fly up at him. He hadn't known such a curse existed, and it had been absolutely dreadful arriving back at Hogwarts, one of the only places where he felt even remotely safe, sitting down at dinner, only to have about ten knives fly towards him. He had spent the next two days in the infirmary, and from then on, he had only been allowed to dine in his room. He was allowed in the Great hall only at breakfast, when there weren't many people around, and he made sure to sit at least two meters away from anyone there. It had been annoying at first, but by now he was used to waking up very early just to get to breakfast. He finished up rubbing it into his skin, having moved onto his shoulders, arms, and legs. He pulled on the rest of his clothes and made sure he had his wand before heading upstairs to eat some breakfast.<p>

Draco Malfoy arrived at the Great hall just moments before Hermione, the insufferable know-it-all. He shook his head. The insolent girl had annoyed the Hell out of his godfather for years, had teased him, and had let her dunderheaded (he must have picked up the term from Sev) boyfriends- Harry and Ronald- constantly pick on him. He admitted that at times he had deserved all of the names thrown at him, but it still annoyed him. For someone so interested in human/magical creatures' rights (SPEW), she had let them perform many hurtful curses on him. Although he didn't know much about the girl, he knew she had gotten her whole house mad at her for one reason or another (which was quite easy to accomplish because Gryffindors had an unspoken rule in their house: insult/hurt one of us, and you insult/hurt us all.) He scoffed. In Slytherin, they were all in a sense "united", but they didn't just blindly support their friends, they looked at both sides of a dispute, and chose the side they wished to support accordingly. He didn't believe for a minute that she deserved being ostracized like this, but he couldn't bring himself to care enough to do anything. In fact, he had no idea why he was thinking about her right now. No, I am merely observing her, he told himself. That was one of the other habits he had picked up from the war, to be aware of the weak links in his opponents' armor. He, of course, didn't consider her an opponent anymore, but he couldn't shake the habits that had been ingrained in

him growing up. Great, he thought, now I'm going to get all weepy, I'll probably have a flashback, feel bad once again, and start bawling...Ha! How pathetic...

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><p><em>Flashback: <em>

_Severus looked at him, trying to assess how much Draco had been affected by what had just occurred._

_ After Voldemort had cast the killing curse on Harry, everyone had celebrated, Bellatrix even shooting up some green fireworks as a sign of victory. Lucius hadn't done anything wrong; he had just been standing there. Voldemort had looked slightly peeved at Bellatrix's fireworks, perhaps worrying someone would appear, although why that would pose a threat, Draco didn't know. He didn't know why, but his father hadn't looked very pleased at his masters' greatest opponent's death. Voldemort's uncontrollable rage had spiked, and he had Crucio'd Lucius until the sadistic dark lord had seen the colour drain from Lucius's already unnaturally pale face. The man Draco had called Father for the eighteen years of his existence was dead. It was a horrible way to die, from your bones breaking due to the horrible spasms that got worse and worse the longer the curse went on. Narcissa, who might or might not have been on the light side (he had learned afterwards that she had lied to Voldemort about Harry's death), hadn't been able to stand the sight of her husband of many years dying so simply, at the wrath of the master he had been nothing but loyal to. She had thrown herself at Voldemort screeching, and he, surprised at her suicidal burst, had ended her life right there, as opposed to torturing her as he might have if he had anticipated the attack. Draco had stood there, his face white, waiting in vain for his parents to wake... nothing happened. He had bottled his feelings up, knowing he would be next on Voldemort's hit list if he started crying, and had laughed, just from the nervousness of it all. His "lord" had seen that as a sign of cold-bloodedness- the ability to laugh at your deceased parents, who have just been murdered in front of you- and it was apparently to his liking._

_Two weeks after the war: _

_Severus appeared at his door just as Draco opened it _

_"Hello Draco, how are you faring? I apologize for not coming to speak to you earlier, but Minerva had all of the Hogwarts professors help restore the school" he said. _

_"considering what I witnessed, quite well, actually" Draco had replied. Then, getting to the point of the meeting he had called, he added "does this mean you are my guardian now, considering both of my parents are dead, and you were named my godfather at my birth?" _

_Snape frowned "I had not thought about that, and no, it doesn't" at Draco's confused face, he had continued "I mean, legally, I am your guardian, but I have no control over you or your actions. You are overage, Draco." Realization flooded his features, but now, Draco felt a bit unsettled- he felt like he needed someone he actually trusted to be in charge of him for once. He changed the subject abruptly. _

_"Would you like something to drink Severus?" he asked. Snape nodded minutely, still observing Draco. _

_"Just some water for me, Draco" he said. Draco turned around, and made his way to the kitchen. Severus realized that this was odd behaviour for a Malfoy; they usually called a house elf to help them with menial tasks like getting a drink. He sensed the boy's need to compose himself so he told himself that when the boy came back, he wouldn't say anything about Draco's strange behaviour. A few moments later, Draco reappeared, his footfalls echoing throughout the empty mansion. Draco was levitating a glass of water, a bottle of firewhiskey, and a gold-rimmed cup Severus recognized. Draco handed him the glass, and proceeded to pour himself a glass of the whiskey. _

_Moments later, Severus watched Draco down three cups of firewhiskey in quick succession. Once again, instead of pitying the boy- who had so many feelings bottled up that he felt compelled to turn to alcohol just to calm down- he saw a younger Severus reflected in the boy. Snape had also turned to substance use as a way to stay sane during the first war, and had suffered through staying sober during the second war, not wanting to appear weak to Voldemort...or Dumbledore. Had the old wizard not convinced Snape that he wouldn't be able to stop Voldemort from rummaging through his own head if he was intoxicated, Snape would have given himself away quite quickly._

_Snape could see the boy's hands shaking as he tried to pour himself another glass, then sensing he couldn't manage it, Draco hurled the half-full cup at the fireplace. Instead of watching the fire, which flared momentarily, Severus looked at Draco. He could see the sadness in them. "that was my father's glass- his favourite" Draco whispered, horrified that he had destroyed it. Snape grabbed Draco's arm to steady him, seeing the boy lurch unsteadily to the side, and led him over to a couch, where Draco sat down, looked at his hands, and started crying. Snape had never been particularly good at consoling people, and felt even more out of his league now because he had never seen Draco cry. Not once. Not when Voldemort had placed a crucio curse on him or when he had been tortured otherwise. Not when Draco had seen or even preformed murder. Not even when his parents had been killed in front if him. He knew he had to console Draco, but he was dismayed when he was left contemplating how to best approach Draco. He took a step towards Draco, and sat down beside him, wrapping his long arms around the shaking boy. A few minutes later, the sobs subsided, and Snape stood up again._

_End flashback...  
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Draco could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but as per usual, he pushed them down, forcing himself to stay in control. He looked up at the head table when he sensed movement, and his eyes followed his favourite professor for a moment. He saw Snape mutter something to Granger, and then something happened. She stood up, and rushed out. He sat there perplexed, wondering what had just happened until he realized the room was filling up, and he would have to leave soon to avoid harm. Snape had started walking moments after Hermione had left, seemingly unaffected by her odd outburst, and Draco could almost see the glee in the Gryffindor students` eyes at their house outcast being insulted. He cringed. It must be hard to live with those judgmental bastards... he thought, then walked out, thanking whatever god existed that he had not been sorted into Gryffindor house. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of eyes belonging to a girl who had just stepped into the Great Hall trailed after him longingly, wanting badly to comfort the strong boy... the same one who she had just seen tear up at breakfast.

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><p>A girl, somewhere on the other side of Hogwarts stared happily into the crystal ball, staring at Hermione, Harry, and Ron, pleased that her plan was going just as she had hoped...<p>

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><p><strong>AN Hi! Alright, I know I said that I would update on Thursday and yadda yadda yadda... but I wrote this and couldn't wait to upload it...**

**ps. I'm pretty sure that in the books Draco wasn't there when Voldemort "killed" Harry, but for the sake of the story... he was!**

**pps. Please Review! XD**

haha! thanks for reading this, hope you enjoyed it!**  
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	3. Part III

**I don't own anything... It's all J.K. Rowling's...  
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He looked down his slightly crooked nose at the second year potions class he was teaching at the moment with thinly-veiled disgust. Out of the class of about twenty students, apparently only three had enough common sense to read the instructions he had put up on the board_ first_, and then begin mixing the potion. They had been making Swelling Solution, a fairly simple and standard second year potion (in fact, he could remember brewing it himself in his second year), but about seven students managed to render their already poorly brewed potions completely worthless, while the rest had mysteriously managed to get a few drops of their potions onto themselves. He had been feeling fairly amused when he had to reasonably inform them that he unfortunately had no deflating draught currently on hand (it was true, he was out of the potion). That, of course, meant that he would need to brew some, which he would gladly do...when he happened to have some time- he was a busy man, so they would need to deal with their "little" problems themselves. That comment had earned him a few glares, but he found their futile attempts at hatred amusing all in all. He sat down at his desk, watching the class, although the majority were sitting idly, waiting for the class to be over, having already ruined their potions. The three who had managed to make potions worthy of at least and Exceeds Expectations were all from Slytherin, which he found amusing. In all of the years he had been teaching, the students who excelled in his class had, more often than not, been in Slytherin, save for a handful of students. He thought back to those students he hoped they had all proceeded to be potions masters and mistresses... then shook his head when he remembered a certain Gryffindor who had constantly been one of the few in her class who got the potion right... and then pressed his fingertips to his temple.

Miss Granger had been on his mind all day. He couldn't get her unusually hurt expression out of his mind. He didn't know why his comment had been received in such a fashion, but he suspected that something was happening to her; perhaps some form of bullying or perhaps harassment-he was fairly sure students were the reason for her less than stellar marks as of late. He had heard other teachers discussing her recent change in behaviour in hushed tones, so he was certain it wasn't some sort of prank that she was playing on him. Naturally, he didn't have the foggiest clue as to what they might be teasing her about, and quite frankly didn't know why he even cared.

Well, he reminded himself, she's you're student, and you are obligated to "care" about her well being because of that "responsibility", she had been, he cringed at the words "had been", one of his best students, and, he reasoned, he missed teasing her, and taking house points away from Gryffindor. She had always had the best arguments or comebacks for things he accused her of doing. She had also had some of the funniest, wittiest, under-her-breath remarks he had heard from a student that wasn't in Slytherin. Without looking up, he addressed the class "bottle your potions and bring them to the front, I will have them marked... rather quickly" he smirked as only three bottles were placed on his desk, and looked up at the second years, who were all looking decidedly fidgety, probably anticipating the pile of homework he would undoubtedly assign. "Homework for tonight: read chapter eight in your books, and be ready to make the potion described." He looked at their slightly relieved faces for a second before adding "I also expect an essay, 3,000 words, on the results of using puffer-fish eyes incorrectly, which the majority of you demonstrated quite perfectly today in class." He smirked at them when he heard their groans of protest. He glared at them, and prepared to take house points away from them, but closed his mouth before saying anything, noticing some of his students' looks of embarrassment.

He was slightly puzzled as to why they might look so ashamed at their failures (they had failed before, why start feeling bad now?), but quickly brushed the thought away, and yelled "out!". Which cleared the room out quickly. When the young children finally left, he sat at his desk, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't believe Minerva had managed to con him into teaching another year at the place where two of his masters had been killed- one by him, no less- and had been feeling decidedly miserable as of late for that lack of judgement. He was really beginning to feel grateful for the hour he always got as a break on Monday, when he remembered he had to teach the "eighth years".

He sighed, but didn't feel quite as bad as he would have if someone had announced that he had to teach first or even third years. The eighth years' class wasn't nearly as bad as teaching the younger students because it was relatively small- seven students in total. It was only for students who wanted to be tested in potions at their NEWTS. This meant that what he was saying wouldn't go over their heads, and he was rather looking forward to discussing potions, ingredients, and other such things with them. He ran through the lesson plan in his head, making sure there were no major flaws in it, then, more confident after realizing he didn't have to deal with a full class of dunderheads, he straightened his back, folded his hands atop his desk after putting the three second years' potions in his storage closet, arranged his facial features in his usual sneer, and awaited the class, furrowing his brow when he heard some commotion outside his door...

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><p>She had stormed off from breakfast, and had wandered aimlessly through the halls for a good fifteen minutes. Now, Hermione had no clue where in the castle she was as she arrived at yet another long forgotten corridor, and made her way through it. Hermione had no clue how to get back to the Gryffindor Tower, and hoped in vain that Harry would care enough to find her on the Marauders Map, before she shook her head to rid herself of the fantasies. She found a door, and looked around the small, unused classroom. After walking inside, she sat down at one of the dusty desks, and pressed her forehead to the cool surface, after casting a slight cleaning charm on it. Then, she commanded herself not to cry. She drew in a few shuddery breaths, and when she was finally sure she wouldn't spontaneously burst out into tears, she sat up straight, and fished her schedule from her bag, whispering "lumos". Hermione proceeded to look disbelievingly at the paper, then at the clock. She had about an hour to get to her first class, that wasn't the problem; however, she did have a slight problem with having an hour-long potions class. She didn't know how she could face him. She had acted like a bloody coward! That was the opposite of everything Gryffindors were supposed to be. His cold eyes wouldn't show any sort of remorse, and she was under no illusions that he would feel bad about his offhanded comment. In fact, she would bet that he was having a good laugh out of her reaction with some of his Slytherin students.<p>

At the end of the battle, she remembered Harry- she cringed as the name popped up in her thoughts- saying something along the lines of "Snape, he... we need to save him... he was...helping Dumbledore, and my mom", before running off to find an antidote to the snake venom. According to Harry- she cringed again- Snape had a much better antidote on him at the time, probably expecting Nagini, but without the one Harry had brought, the best Snape's antidote could have done was to bring him into a coma-like state. However, Hermione didn't understand why Harry had even bothered to save him. She felt slightly guilty at having thought something so horrible about her professor, but it was true all the same. He had made fun of her work, who she chose to be friends with, her hair, her teeth... daily. The most puzzling of all was that it had even worse for Harry. Yet it seemed Harry had saved their Professor, the one who had sneered at him, insulted him, antagonized him on a daily basis; willingly. It even seemed that Harry had forgiven Professor Snape for all of those things. After getting back, Harry had refused to say anything on the subject, saying "If you want to know what happened so badly, go ask the man!". Of course, that had made her even more curious.

Books failed her as she researched connections between Dumbledore, Lily, and Snape. She already knew of Snape betraying Voldemort for Dumbledore, and his crush on Lily as a boy, but she couldn't for the life of her, figure out what connected Dumbledore to Lily, and why it had made Harry so worried and concerned about Snape. She shrugged. After reading all there was to know about the three people, day and night for a few days, she had become depressed; books had never failed her so completely. She had felt defeated, but now it felt like she almost didn't care. _Almost._ She was still herself, a know-it-all. She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts of Harry, and Professor Snape. She slumped down on the chair, her eyes downcast, when she noticed a chain on the floor. She picked it up, not nearly as interested as she could be, and began inspecting it. It was a charm, perhaps for a bracelet. It was two roses intertwined, and it had a small metal loop- to attach it to the bracelet. Once she made sure it had no traces of dark magic on it, she stuffed it into the hidden pocket which was on the inside of the right sleeve on her cloak to research later...maybe. She finally realized how much not sleeping had drained her when she suddenly began feeling tired after the use of the minor revealing spells she had performed on the bracelet. She rested her head on the desk again, after slipping back into the seat, and closed her eyes, to rest them a bit. Naturally, sleep took over quickly, and she found herself slipping away from consciousness.

_She was standing in a corridor, much like the one she had walked through to get to this classroom, and looked around, perplexed. Her feet moved of their own accord, and she could do little but try to stay upright. What an odd dream! She turned a corner, and walked up a few flights of stairs, pausing after the third to open a rather heavy door to continue upwards. As she ascended the stairs, she saw more and more things that looked familiar yet still unfamiliar, starting with _people_. They were all looking at her, perplexed, but she brushed it off, attributing __the odd dream to __her weariness. She walked through yet another hidden entrance, and was surprised to see the Slytherin colours. _Where was she?_ She wondered, aren't dreams supposed to be of places and people you've seen before? She had certainly never been here before! Furthermore, why was she dreaming about being in the Slytherin common room, if that was what this was? _

_Time seemed to be passing in leaps and bounds; she would turn into a new hallway, and suddenly be at the end of it._

_Suddenly, unexpectedly, she was in front of the potions classroom. Dream-Hermione let out a sigh of relief, was she only dreaming about this because...she was worried she would miss her class? She furrowed her brow. She had never had a dream like this one before, one where you knew you were dreaming and could ponder the reason for dreaming it..._

Just after thinking that, someone doused her with cold water. As she woke up, she coughed and sputtered. How had someone managed to find her in the room, deep underground? Then, after rubbing her eyes to rid them of the water, she looked around, stunned to find herself in front of the potions classroom, just like in her dream! "What the hell, Granger?" someone yelled. She looked to where the voice was coming from, but didn't recognize it's owner, only noticing the green trim on his robes. She didn't even know what had happened! "wh-what do you m-mean?" she asked him, her teeth chattering as the damp cold that was always present in the dungeons crept into her wet clothing, settling in her bones. Someone sighed, and she felt her clothes dry out slightly. She sneaked a look at the person who had dried her clothes, and her mouth dropped open as she saw the blond-haired boy she strongly disliked. He smirked "Granger, why do you insist on flaunting your knowledge about every bloody subject in the world?" his expression grew more serious "how did you know about all of those secret passageways?" he asked, lowering his voice. She shook her head, but was still to cold to manage out anything more than "I w-w-w-was sleep-p-ping". She heard a few chuckles at that, but couldn't form a response. She looked up, and even Draco's grey eyes looked amused. "you expect us to believe that a Gryffindor was _sleepwalking _through the dungeons? No. Do you want to know what I think happened?" she kept still, which he took as a yes "I think that you and your little _friends _Potter and Weasley helped you get in, and that you were...well, why don't you tell us what you were doing?" She shook her head yet again but before she could say anything else, a silky voice spoke up "Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, please join me in my office, _immediately_." His voice left no room for objection, and Malfoy stalked into Professor Snape's room, which was located across the hall and a few doors down from the potions room. She tried to get up, but found that her legs felt like lead, and only succeeded in kneeling in front of her teacher. Her cheeks burned as he let out an amused snort "Miss Granger, kindly get off of the floor, and into my office". There were a few snickers from the small crowd the girl had managed to attract, which brought his attention to them. "If all of you were to so kindly leave..." he trailed off, looking disbelievingly at the place where a dozen or so students had been standing just moments ago. They had never followed his instructions so quickly.

He quickly placed his attention on the girl at his feet who was still valiantly trying to stand up. "Miss Granger" her eyes flickered up at him. He extended his hand towards her, and she gratefully took it. Unfortunately, Snape made the mistake of letting go of her hand immediately after she stood up, and she fell over. he realized that a second too late, and she was already crashing into him. In a vain attempt to stay upright, they both tried to gain better footing, but the balance was lost, and they crashed to the floor. She landed on top of him, which anybody would have found mortifying, but her hands, which had been trying to find a place to grab hold of, were resting on his chest in an almost loving way. He looked down at her only to find her deep brown eyes staring back at him.

Her face was as red as a tomato, and she was sure he could feel her heart beating (he could). She tried to pick herself up, but only succeeded in entangling her feet in his cloak. They both looked up as someone cleared their throat behind them. Draco was standing there, an amused expression on his face. "Goodness Sev! I leave you alone for five seconds and you already manage to get into trouble!" Hermione blinked in surprise, amazed at the friendliness with which Draco was talking to Professor Snape. It indicated a level of familiarity she hadn't known existed between the two. She hadn't ever heard a student call Snape, Severus, let alone Sev! Draco reached over, and helped her to her feet, not letting go of her hand as Snape had done. When her Professor finally pulled himself off of the ground, his expression was unreadable, though there was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. She looked at the floor. She had embarrassed one of the best Professors she had ever had. She was a bit surprised to find that she still sub-consiously thought of him as a good teacher, considering all of the nasty things he had said to her over the years, but once she realized it, it didn't seem unexpected. He was one of the only teachers here at Hogwarts who even bothered to discipline and push their students... she blushed again as she looked up at two pairs of eyes staring at her.

"Out with it Granger!" Draco said, his back turned to her as he closed the door. Before she could answer, Snape began to speak "Miss Granger, might I ask why your eyes are so red?" At her perplexed expression, he handed her a mirror. She stared in shock as she realized the glamours she had placed on herself this morning were gone. She heard Draco suck in a breath when he looked at her. "Holy shite! You look like Hell..." he trailed off at the glare he got from Snape. Professor Snape never could stand crying, so when her eyes began to fill with tears, he had no idea what to do. Actually, he had some experience with weepy girls, being the Head of Slytherin house, but that had almost always been about boys. Now, he had no clue what could have set her off. He opened one of the drawers in his desk, and pulled out a mild mood-stabilizing potion. Handing it to her, along with a spoon, he said "Drink two spoonfuls of this". She nodded, and drank the potion, not even checking what it was. He was a bit surprised that she trusted him enought to drink the potion he had given her, but he didn't have long to dwell on it. A few seconds later, she was no longer crying. "Sit down, both of you" he said, nodding to the couch in front of his desk. They both hesitated before sitting down, as far away from each other as humanly possible on the small couch.

For the next fifteen minutes, Hermione explained how she had been walking aimlessly through the halls (leaving out the fact that she had done it to get away from him). She also left out the part about the charm, as she deemed it unimportant, claiming she had been tired from staying up late (which was true). She told him about falling asleep, then walking around in a haze, sort of knowing where she was, but not having the foggiest clue as to how she knew the way. Then, Draco had added in his side of the story, describing what she had looked like. Snape had looked deep in thought after their stories. Finally, after a good five minutes of contemplation, he had finally told her to inform Professor McGonagall if anything like this happened again, and informing them that they needed to get off to class now, if they didn't want to be late. Both she and Draco had replied "I have potions now". He had looked slightly amused at their expressions when they realized they had said the same thing, and then told them to get to the classroom, or he would take house points off from both of them (although she slightly doubted that he would take points off from Slytherin). They had rushed off after that.

Now, he was sitting in his office, alone. There was something Miss Granger had left out of her story, and, although she might think it was unimportant, he wished that she had just told him the full story. The "unimportant" detail might have been the key to understanding her "episode", but he had no clue what that detail might be. He turned his chair around, and faced the wall above the fireplace. He tapped the stones in a pattern, much like the ones in Diagon Alley, and he stepped through the doorway that appeared, which led him to the storage closet in his classroom. When he stepped out, Hermione and Draco were slipping into their seats. He let out an chuckle at their shocked expressions at his sudden arrival, then addressed the class.

He leaned against his desk, and looked at them. "For the past month and a half, I have had you brewing some review potions, mainly to make sure you are all still suited for this class."The class nodded, some having realized it themselves. He raised a hand to regain their attention and the class quickly quieted down. "I know some of you" he looked at Hermione "are still not at your... full potential, but I need to begin teaching the more complex potions if you want to have any chance at passing your NEWTS. I am assuming that those of you who are in this class wish to have a job that revolves around or uses potions?" they all nodded. "That means that you have the remainder of the school year to do three things. Learn all of the standard seventh year potions, get ready for your NEWTS in a shorter amount of time than you would usually have, and look for a job placement." He looked at his class. They were all (almost all) exceptionally good at potions, but he wasn't sure just how good they would be under pressure. "Now..." he began, his tone changing to the one he used when he was giving them a lecture.

He began his extensive explanation on the many uses the root of a caliga plant in potion making, his silky voice holding their attention for the next forty minutes. They were all scratching furiously at their parchments, occasionally cursing under their breath when they misspelled or missed a word. He circled their benches, looking over their shoulders and pausing in all the rights spots when he saw they were having a hard time keeping up with him. He wasn't usually this _considerate_ for the other classes, he saved it for the seventh years. He knew all to well what stressing over your NEWT marks could do to you, and he didn't want to be the main cause of that stress. He would push them in the coming months, but he wouldn't force them to do things they simply couldn't do.

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><p>The rest of the day flew past in what seemed like a flurry of colour, and sound. She had always known that she was good at potions, and she had noticed the decline in the quality of them in the past week or so, but she felt more alive now, than she had this whole school year. She suspected it had something to do with the potions lesson. She had never known him to be so calm in class! She felt <em>motivated <em>again, she had always dreamt of being a teacher, even back as a child in muggle London, but now she knew , without a doubt, that she wanted to be a Professor _here_. It would be ideal to be a potions Professor, her strongest subject, but to become a potions master, one had to be an apprentice for a full three years! Snape had never taken any apprentices, and she wasn't sure she could handle working with him for that long, _at the same level_, but she could always teach arithmancy, or maybe even something simpler like DADA, something she hoped never to use again in a real-life situation, although it would be nice to keep her skills up to par over the years. To be qualified for that position, she would have to pass the Auror test, and showcase her skills to a trained auror, then be approved by the Headmaster, er, mistress. She was sure McGonagall would accept her... so she needed to focus on her NEWTS, and practice for the test, as well as read up on some more Defense techniques, but she was sure she could handle it. She knew she was focusing too far on the future, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Now, for the first time since she returned to Hogwarts, she truly felt at home!

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><p>in case the timeline is unclear to anyone (it was for me!)...<p>

classes started Jan 1st- monday

3 weeks after that, was her fight with Harry and Ron- Jan 22- monday

Jan 29th she began to treat her housemates badly- monday

Feb 1st the teasing started- wednesday

this chapter takes place on Feb 12th- monday

ps. On the first week of February, they did an assesment of the seventh and "eighth" years to determine whether or not any private lessons were needed...etc. that is how the teachers

noticed that Hermione's work was... getting worse.

pps. caliga means darkness, gloom, mist in latin (more or less), so the root would be used in a potion similar to the Draught of Living Death...

**A/N I'll update again soon, probably Wednesday or Thursday next week. Reviews are much appreciated! **

** Thanks for reading! Hope you are enjoying it so far.**


	4. Part IV

**Thanks for the reviews! And yes, the quote _was_ from the Big Bang Theory! Bazinga...**

**Haha!**

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><p><strong>(same day...)<strong>  
>Severus sat in his chambers. It was already past midnight and he had just finished marking essays. Many people would tell him to give out less homework to fix that problem, but he knew that this was his job- to push the children as much as possible, not just make work easy on himself. He thought back to the conversation he had had with Draco earlier that day. He needed to find a day when he could help his godson clear the Manor out. He glanced at the calender on his wall, just above the fireplace. Many of the days had notes written in the assigned box, but he noticed that he actually had Wednesday free... February 14th. He would have to speak to Draco to see whether or not the boy had plans that day. Here at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had always given students Valentines day off if it fell on a Wednesday or Friday. The old wizard really had been loony... In any case, as usual, he didn't have any plans for the "holiday".<p>

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><p><em><strong> (next morning...duh!)<strong>_

Hermione awoke the next morning feeling better than she had for weeks. She went to all of her classes, raised her hand, participated, and most of her teachers were amazed at the seemingly overnight change in her behaviour. The Hermione they knew and loved was back! Her last class of the day was potions. She was eager to show her professor her potions skills. They were going to be mixing together a deflating draught in today's class. Hermione smiled slightly as she passed a few second years. Parts of their bodies were slightly enlarged. She giggled as she connected the potions lesson to the kids in her mind, knowing her and her classmates' potions would go towards helping the second years recover. She bounded down the stairs, two at a time, and all but skipped down the hallway. Some of the Slytherin students that had finished their classes for the day looked at her oddly, but she ignored them. She slowed down before reaching the potions classroom, but it was obvious she had been running from her laboured breathing.

She was the first one in the classroom besides Professor Snape, and she eagerly began setting up her cauldron, conjuring up the recipe for Deflating Draught in her mind. Her ingredients were already set up when the rest of the class arrived. She looked around at them, and sat down at her seat when Snape cleared his throat. "As you have undoubtedly seen, some of those insolent second years managed to muck up their swelling potions, and even got some on themselves. I haven't any more deflating draught so this class, as I mentioned yesterday, your job is to make a decent deflating draught." Everyone shifted out of their seats, walking over to the storage closet to get the ingredients. Professor Snape looked at her "Miss Granger, you may get started" he drawled, and walked around the room, making sure nothing was about to blow up. Soon, the classroom grew silent, save for Snape's footsteps. Occasionally, he corrected someone's cutting or stirring technique "Miss Delean, cut the root at a 40 degree angle, not 90." and sometimes, rarely, he gave out a compliment "Mister Malfoy, that is perfect!" In Hermione's hurry to finish quickly, and still have her potion turn out perfectly, she didn't notice when a stray hair fell into her cauldron. When she looked back at it, it had changed colour, now a depressing navy blue rather than a bright, vibrant blue.

Snape saw the potion and immediately yelled "Granger! Down! Now!" she heard him and dived under the bench, avoiding the small explosion from her cauldron. Some of the potion was crawling towards her, looking more solid rather than liquid. The moment it reached her skin, she felt lightheaded and proceeded to pass out.

Snape looked at the scene with dread. He had been sure that she wouldn't mess up so he hadn't been watching her very closely. That was why he hadn't been able to tell her to move away in time. "Finish your potions, I'll deal with this" he told the rest of the class. They all turned back to their cauldrons, sneaking side glances towards Granger and him. "enervate" he mumbled at her, attempting to revive her. The "potion" she had created was one that took on a solid form, and sucked the energy from the nearest witch or wizard. After receiving that amount of power, it shorted itself out, and "died". The result was that the witch or wizard was left unconscious for a few minutes to an hour, depending on how strong the original potion had been. He quickly transfigured one of the extra chairs lying around into a comfortable bed, and brought Hermione to lie down on it. He waved his wand and quickly cleaned up the mess, then looked up at the clock, shocked to see that it was already five minutes after class. The students were silently bottling their potions. After being in his potions class for years, they knew what was expected from them. After cleaning up, they left.  
>He saw movement beside him, and focused his attention on Miss Granger, who was just coming to.<p>

"What happened?" she asked, her words slightly slurred, her head pounding and her words sounding far away, as if coming from the far end of a tunnel.

"Your failed potion sucked some of your energy from you. It's why you passed out" he replied "If you are feeling well enough, you can sit up. I need to run some basic tests on you, and then you will be free to go"

She tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit her, and she slumped back again. In a flash, Snape was at her side. "Oh dear" he mumbled, mostly to himself. "When the potion is particularly potent, the after-effects are much stronger. You will feel sick for at least a few more hours, and will have to stay seated during that time."

She sighed, then brightened slightly "Can you bring me my potions textbook?" he walked over to her seat, and opened her bag, searching for the textbook. A few seconds later, he found it.

He walked across the room again and handed the book to her. He watched curiously as Hermione expertly flipped to the page discussing the use of the caliga plant after taking some pieces of parchment out of a hidden pocket on the cover of the book. She cast an enlarging spell on them, found a quill and some ink, and began cross-referencing her notes with the textbook.

"Might I ask what you are doing, Miss Granger?" he asked, perplexed. Her eyes flickered up at him, almost in surprise. "I am going over my notes, sir" she answered, her voice confident yet relaxed.

"why?"

"so I can be ready for my NEWTS...?" she answered, obviously thinking that her reasons were plain to see. He shrugged, and walked over to his desk. He opened a drawer, and took out one of the medicinal potions- to take his headache away.  
>A few minutes later, he took out the essays that the second years had handed in today. Severus began marking them, completely unsatisfied. Most of the essays had absolutely nothing to do with the topic he had assigned, and the rest were poorly written- save for two or three.<br>He squinted. Did that say cauldron or cool droning? He had a sneaking suspicion that the student who had written this had wanted to say cool droning- although what that was, he didn't know. Someone should teach these kids how to write! He thought.  
>For the next half an hour, the only sounds in the room were Severus and Hermione's quills scratching away at their respectful papers. Every ten minutes, Hermione would look up at her professor. She wanted to apologize. She looked at him thoughtfully; he reminded her of herself. He sat in the same hunched over position, kept a strong grip on his quill, and even mumbled under his breath; just like she did when studying for a test.<br>The third time she looked up at him, she was surprised to find him looking right back at her, his expression neutral.

"Yes Miss Granger?" he asked, obviously annoyed by her staring.

"I'm sorry Professor" she mumbled, her Gryffindor courage deserting her.

He looked confused "whatever at you apologizing for?" he asked, trying to understand.

"I am sorry for disrupting the class, and for being careless and putting other syudents', yours, and my life in danger."  
>He smirked slightly, a bemused expression now on his face. It looked slightly off, considering his usual expression was full of sarcasm. "Are you apologizing for accidentally ruining your potion?" be asked. "If you are worried about your grade, you shouldn't be." "why are-" he cut her off gently, but sternly "if you would let me finish my sentence?" his smirk widened when he saw her sheepish expression. "the reason the "matter" you created was powerful enough to drain you this much is that it had been brewed perfectly up until that point. Thus, full marks." He looked at her, expecting to see relief on her face, but instead, he found confusion.<p>

He looked slightly concerned. Confusion was one of the more harmful side effects from the "matter"... His thoughts were interrupted "are you serious?" she asked, incredulous. She couldn't believe it! He looked baffled. This didn't seem to be the type of confusion one experiences as a side effect... Had his explanation not been clear enough?

She giggled slightly at his furrowed brows, enjoying watching him try to work it out. She decided to put him out of his mystery and called "I am simply astounded by you not taking points away off for being a- what do you call them? a... a dunderhead!" he was confused, then it dawned on him... It was true, he hadn't punished her for her carelessness- whether it had been intentional or not- even though it could have happened to anybody. He pasted his usual sarcastic sneer on his face "you will come down for detention tomorrow and the day after that. Tomorrow, you will redo the potion, so I can make sure you deserve the marks, then the next day, you will be here for at least three hours after classes..." "we haven't got classes on Wednesday" she reminded him. "six hours then" he answered.

She let out a small huff, then mentally kicked herself. Wednesday was Valentine's day, she was alone, and he was offering her the perfect excuse to avoid the otherwise mandatory dance. She surprised him by saying "Alright" in a bright voice. Was this another side effect; bad hearing? "Did you understand me Miss Granger? You are to come and clean the room for _six hours _on Valentine's Day" He stared at her as she nodded "I am not deaf, sir. I understood you well enough the first time." He stared in shock, then quickly composed himself. "Very well then, Miss Granger. Are you feeling well enough to go back to your dormitory?" Severus watched as Hermione's face turned serious, no hint of amusement in it. She quickly shook it off, and placed an obviously fake smile on her face. Snape looked at her suspiciously, wondering what on earth her classmates were doing to her.

"Miss Granger?" he asked, but her face remained stoic, her eyes unfocused. "MISS Granger? MISS GRANGER? Hermione?" At her name, she snapped back to attention, wondering why he had called her by her first name. The first thing Severus had been taught when he began working at Hogwarts was that he was to address students by their last names, unless in a situation where they needed something more familiar. "Yes professor?" she asked him. "Miss Granger, what are the students in Gryffindor house doing to you?" Snape immediately knew he should have been more tactical while asking her such a question because her eyes filled with a determination only a Gryffindor could muster. He knew she wouldn't tell him anything now. He hadn't been looking forward to hearing her sob story, but he wanted to have a reason to take house points from Gryffindor. "I assure you that nothing is being done to me, sir. And if something _had_ been happening, what made you think I would tell you?" immediately after saying the words, she knew she had hurt his feelings. He didn't show it, but it felt like he exuded sadness. Severus could handle almost anything, anyone said about him behind his back. Then, he could fool himself into thinking he hadn't heard what was being said. When said to his face, however, the insults were much more personal, and he felt like no student should have the power to hurt him. "Miss Granger, I believe your detentions should continue throughout the next month. Your attitude leaves much to be desired... Also, I do not appreciate being lied to. What was hidden beneath the glamours that my wards removed from your face told me more than you ever could." He quickly muttered a few spells under his breath. "you are free to go" he said, his voice icy. He turned, and stalked out of the classroom, not looking back once.

She tried to stand up, but found that she couldn't. Not because she didn't have any energy, but because of the tears that began spilling from her eyes. She couldn't believe how disrespectful she had been to one of her best professors, and when he had been helping her! Why was her life so depressing? Why was she so daft?

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><p>That insolent child, Severus thought, seething. He had walked through the Slytherin common room with such a frightening expression on his face that many of the younger kids (and even some of the older ones) had immediately retreated to their rooms. He walked into his private chambers, casting the correct spells to lift the wards. He stepped into his bathroom, replacing the wards on his door silently. He immediately began pulling his clothes off he stepped into his shower, charming the water to be scalding hot, just the way he liked it. He pressed his arm on the wall, leaning against it. He pounded his fist on the wall, imagining the wall was the girl. Not that he really wanted to cause her harm, it just helped to have some slightly-sane reason for punching the wall. He stayed in the shower for at least another half-hour, and when he got out, wrapping a towel around his waist, he felt slightly more relaxed. Naturally, that was short lived, as his wards detected someone. He let them in past the wards and someone knocked at his door. He opened it slightly, wondering which one of his students was daft enough to knock at his door.<p>

Even though he had only cracked open the door, Minerva pushed in, dragging Miss Granger behind her.

She observed what he was wearing, and transfigured his towel into something more appropriate. He could feel her anger rolling off of her in waves.

"What it the meaning of this Severus?" she demanded, very angry

Severus shrugged, not knowing what she was talking about.

"How could you leave _her_ in _your _room unattended. You're lucky I needed to speak to her and went looking for her... When I found her, she was crying her eyes out! I shudder thinking about what would have happened had she been forced to stay there through the night!"

Oh Gryffindors, forever being dramatic... "It's not like she hasn't been doing that already" Snape mumbled, to himself. This only served to enrage the Headmistress even further. "What was that Severus?" she yelled.

He opened his mouth to explain exactly _what that was_, when he noticed Miss Granger. She was looking at him, her eyes pleading with him not to tell her former Head of House what was going on. She probably wanted to save her classmates from getting expelled, which made him wonder if her friends- the only ones she had here- were the ones teasing her, Ron or Harry. "Nothing Headmistress" he said. Hermione looked thankful, and then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Slytherins always had an ulterior motive for their actions, what was his? Why had he chosen to help her?

She heard Professor McGonagall scoff, but turned around to leave the room. It smelled of potions and ingredients, and had the damp feel, like the rest of the dungeons. She stalked out, leaving Hermione behind "Miss Granger, walk back to your dormitory alone. I don't know why Severus has just lied for you, but you'd better hope he is in a better mood than I am, and that he will be willing to walk with you!"

Snape stared at the younger girl, wondering what on earth had possessed him to leave her alone in his unwarded classroom. It was full of rare potions ingredients, and it wasn't like she hadn't stolen from him before...

"I'll be going now..." she said, turning and making her way to the door. He walked up behind her. He felt like he was guilty of something, and had to make it up to her. However, he didn't know what exactly he was making up for...

"Why are you being nice to me?" she asked, slightly uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" he snapped, more harshly than he had wanted to, knowing full well what she was referring to.

"You covered for me with McGonagall, for no reason, and you are walking with me, even after I assured you i could walk myself."

He could feel himself getting more and more irritated with every word she said. "Would you prefer I leave you alone in these dungeons?" he answered, deflecting her original question. She picked up on it immediately and shook her head "No! None of your crap, answer my first question."

"Miss Granger! I would much like to leave you alone here, but I...fear Minerva's wrath when she finds out I let one of her precious Gryffindor _cubs_ alone in the dungeons?" She threw her head back and laughed; for a former spy, he was very, _very_ bad at making up lies on the was an obvious lie in his words... he had already left her alone in the dungeons.

"No Professor, tell me the real reason you are helping me."

Snape just shrugged, and adjusted his strides so that at any given time, he was in front of her and she wouldn't see his inner turmoil, which was probably being reflected on his face. Why _was_ he helping her? Obviously it is because it's the most fun I've had since before joining the Death Eaters... a little voice whispered. It was pathetic, but true. Through his school years, he hadn't had many friends, but he had pranked the select few that he felt close enough with, but after Voldemort, there had been no more tolerance for childishness, no more lies- except the ones which served to keep him alive.

They arrived at the Fat Lady, and he turned to leave. She didn't look back after stepping through the portrait hole, missing her Professor looking back at her with a worried expression on his face. One no student had ever been deemed worthy of.

As he stalked back to his room, he wondered what _she_ of all people had done to make herself worthy of his concern.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review<strong>


	5. Part V

She stepped through the portrait hole. It was past midnight, so she wasn't expecting anyone to be in the common room, and as far as she could see, there wasn't anyone. However, a pair of dark, brooding eyes followed her up the stairs, full of hate. The owner of those eyes walked behind Hermione, silently, their footsteps barely a whisper as they hid in the long shadows of the tower. When Hermione ducked into her dormitory, the person following her pointed their wand at the door of the bathroom Hermione had disapeared into. They muttered a spell, and smirked, hearing a shriek from the bathroom not ten seconds later.

"Bloody hell!" yelled Hermione.

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><p>Severus woke up to green light filtering through his windows. Being under the lake was all good fun, but the lighting was absolutely dismal. His head was pounding. As was his heart. He had woken up like this many times, after particularly frightening dreams of Voldemort. He had been dreaming that Voldemort had found out about his disloyalty, and had punished him.<p>

He shuddered, not wanting the dark dream to linger in his mind anymore.

"Oh, hell" he muttered, cursing when he stubbed his toe on the corner of his bed. This was not a very promising start to the day.

As he had predicted, the rest of the day was quite gloomy. A first year he had taught had blown up his cauldron, hurting himself in the process; the dunderhead. The third years had tried to be smart with him: talking back, acting cheeky- forcing him to hand out various detentions. At dinner, two Slytherin students had gotten into a fight, and he had been obligated to break it up. Now, for what he hoped would be a more pleasant evening, he was waiting for the eighth years to come in for their class.

Because there had never been eighth years at Hogwarts, there was no space on the usual schedule to fit them in, resulting in them getting random time slots to fill with their classes, depending on which teacher was available. Unfortunately, this resulted in an uneven spread of classes- they got potions daily (much to his horror) and transfiguration once a week (much to Professor Rawlings'- the new transfiguration professor/Gryffindor head of house- relief).  
>They slowly began to arrive, and he couldn't understand why, they all seemed like they were stifling laughter. A few seconds later, his silent question was answered. Hermione walked into her room, her nose on the air, exuding false confidence.<p>

Her hair, always a mess, now resembled a lion's mane. It was lighter than usual, more golden than brown. She had whiskers growing from around her nose, and her skin had a golden tan colour. Mane, whiskers... Lion... Gryffindor! He shook his head, wondering who had played the prank on the poor girl. He had some- an understatement- experience with "pranks" and knew how mortified she must feel.

Just when he didn't think it could get worse, her face began transforming. Her hair went shock straight, turning black except at the roots, where it turned white.. Her whiskers disappeared into her face, shooting backwards into her face. Her nose elongated slightly, then curved downwards, vaguely resembling a beak.

Ravenclaw, check!

He had a strong suspicion as to what would happen in fifteen minutes if he was right about what curse had been used against her. He began his lesson, telling them in theory, what would happen to the potions they would be brewing today, should they mix them incorrectly. They all visibly shivered after he explained the effects of the potion.

It was a stronger version of amortentia, not called a love potion anymore, but a lust potion.  
>Some of the students blushed when he explained what would happen if they got any of the potion on themselves. He then informed them that they would be working in partners for today. "one of you will chop and ready the ingredients, while the other mixes the potion. It needs to be brewed and mixed very quickly, requiring the work of two people" he said "I will choose the groups".<p>

Besides a few grumbles, the class stayed quiet, waiting for him to tell them their partners. Suddenly, Hermione let out a shriek. he looked at the hourglass on his table. Yup, fifteen minutes had passed. The class watched in sick fascination as Hermione's hair changed back to brown, her beak disappeared, and black and white streaks appeared on her face. Her nose also elongated slightly.

Badger... Hufflepuff, check!

He chuckled slightly, it was slightly amusing to watch the annoying know-it-all get her comeuppance for, well...being a know-it-all. He noticed her shoot him a look of disapproval and slight desperation. He knew she was hoping he could help her, but with this particular hex, one could only wait for the effects to stop- between eight and ten hours, depending on the strength of the spell.

Severus read the names off of his class list, pairing them up quickly in his head. He had planned on making them do the potions separately, but had decided he didn't want a repeat of this morning (a blown up cauldron) so he had switched his plan and decided to have them work in pairs.

"Professor McGonagall has told me to encourage inter-house unity, so I will have to try to pair you up with someone who is not in your house" he began slowly, letting it sink in. Then, he began reading his list.

"Mister Zabini and Terry Boot,

Dean Thomas and Anthony Goldstein,

Pavarti Patil with Hermione Granger

Draco Malfoy with Padma Patil"

the moment he said the words, the Patil twins' hands shot up. He knew what they were going to ask.

"May we be in the same group, Professor?" Pavarti asked. He nodded, knowing it was the only way out of the situation. Their partners were not as delighted with the partner switch. He decided to torture Draco and Miss Granger a bit, and said "these will be your partners for the remainder of the year."

The Patils squealed, excited, and the other groups stayed silent. Hermione and Draco eyed each other warily, and Hermione switched seats with Padma. She sat beside Draco, who pulled out his textbook, but left it closed, while he went to the storage closed. _So that'_s_ how it's going to be..._ she set up the cauldron, not needing the textbook's instructions either.

He returned with the five ingredients necessary for the potion.

"You cut, I mix" he said, sneering. "We don't want this to blow up like yesterday, do we, _mudblood?"_

She gasped. "Malfoy! That's really mean!"

He chuckled "Am I known to be anything else?"

She turned to the ingredients Draco had brought. There was a small vial of amortentia, and them ingredients to strengthen the effects of the love potion. She began slicing the pomegranate seeds in half, to take the small seeds out. Fifteen were needed. she began to dice the two puffer-fish eyes, when Draco suddenly exclaimed "Granger, cut it correctly."

"I _am!_" she returned.

"Cut them into smaller pieces, half a centimeter across, not one and a half!"

She shrugged, noticing her mistake. She began to chop the peppermint, and he began adding the ingredients to the cauldron. She needed to cut quickly, the last ingredient had to be added precisely ten seconds after the peppermint. She picked the lovage leaves from the sprig, and counted slowly i her head, waiting for the potion to turn the brown colour._ Eight, nine, ten. _She put the leaves into the potion. Smiling when it turned a bright shade of pink- almost red.

Draco also felt pleased, the mudblood had managed to _not_ muck up the potion. He watched the witch stir the potion once counter-clockwise, and then twice clockwise, and then she began cleaning up the area around the cauldron

"Malfoy, bottle the potion in exactly one minute!"

"I know, Granger, I _do_ have a brain, you know" he retorted, and then counted in his head. Exactly sixty seconds later, he took a bottle out, poured some into the bottle, and cast the sealing spell onto it. A bit dribbled down the sides, and he wiped it with his dragon hide gloves. When he walked to Snape, Draco handed him the potion, his hand brushing slightly against the professor's finger. Snape didn't know Draco had transferred the potion onto his skin, but he knew what the effects of the potion felt like. He was unable to stop what happened next.

He stepped into the storage closet, needing to get away from students. Once inside, he breathed a small sigh of relief, glad his mind was strong enough to slightly resist the urges.

In the closet, Hermione was putting the vial of amortentia back- the recipe called for five drops. She heard someone come into the room, and shut the door. She then heard a sigh of relief.

"Professor?" she asked

His eyes shot up, his pupils dilated with lust. "Miss Granger... leave the room, now!"

She paid no heed to his instructions, stepping towards him instead. "Are you all right, sir?"

"No! I got some of the... potion on me..." he growled, trying to stop his body from throwing itself at her. "Please, Miss Granger, leave"

She shook her head "No, I will just go get a Bezoar stone, it will help you"

"You've been warned, Granger... Do it!"

She began walking to the other side of the storage room, when she remembered that the bezoar stones were kept on the shelf behind him. She wasn't daft, she knew it was risky, but she was determined to help her Professor. She brushed against his hand- which had some of the potion on it- when she passed, and he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Granger!"

She turned, but before she could move out of the way, Snape's long arms captured her, pushing her against the door. His lips attacked her, kissing, sucking, licking, biting. When he finally made it to her lips, she had decided to go limp and let him do what the potion was making him do. When he kissed her, her resolve weakened, and she found herself pressing back, linking her arms behind his head. She gasped. He took the opportunity to snake his tongue into her mouth. It tasted heavenly. _What am I doing? Who cares._ Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling his head and lips closer. Her tongue pressed up into his, and they battled. Snape lost, and her tongue entered his mouth. She wanted more of this taste, more of him. More... More.

He pulled away, meeting her eyes. They were dilated, just as his were. She hadn't been in contact with the potion as long as he had, and her mind was strong, so she remembered what she had wanted to get, reached onto the shelf, pulled out two bezoar stones, and pushed one into her mouth; one into his.

A minute later, they were back to normal, and embarrassed. She had found the floor quite interesting, and was staring down at it intently. He looked away, a slight blush colouring his pale cheeks.

"Excuse my behaviour, Miss Granger" he said "I have no excuse for my actions"

"It's alright, sir. Just the potion's fault"

"I should have insisted you leave" he continued, not wanting to be let off so easily. He opened the door, exiting. The class was gone, and Draco was sitting at Snape's desk.

"I told them to leave as soon as they finished their potions" he said, not looking up from the desk. "Listen, I'm very sorry for that... I should have wiped it with a cloth, not my glove. It is my fault" Draco looked up. His eyes looked over at the door, where Hermione was. His eyes bulged "Bloody Hell!" he yelled "I forgot you were in there!"

His professor shrugged, as did Hermione. Draco's eyes flickered between them. "What happened in there?" he asked, his voice no louder than a whisper.

"None of your busness, Malfoy" Hermione said, angrily.

"Come to my office...both of you." Snape said, and walked out of the room.

That is how, for the second time in three days, Hermione found herself in Professor Snape's room with Draco Malfoy."

The two students were expecting the Professor to yell at them, and were surprised when Snape sat down on the couch, and transfigured some other chairs into small couches. They sat down, not knowing what to expect.

"Your potion, it was incredibly strong" their professor began "it usually takes a few drops for the potion to have effect, but Draco barely touched me, and then you, Granger, barely grazed my skin."

Draco and Hermione looked at each other in surprise.

"Sir-" she began, before Draco cut her off.

"Snape, what happened in that closet?" he asked Severus, not wanting to continue any other conversation before getting an answer from them. He hadn't remembered that Granger was in that closet. If something happened, it would be his fault.

"Nothing..." His professor said, evasively.

"Sure it was nothing, Sev. You two came out panting as if you had just run a marathon."

"Then it should be fairly easy to guess what "happened"" Snape said

"Malfoy, why do you care?" Hermione wondered.

"Because...oh, I don't know" Draco said. "So, you two made out?"

Both Severus and Hermione grimaced, answering his question. He looked between them, unable to imagine them together. He shuddered when his brain created images in his head. Images no one would particularly like in their head, especially if they involved his friend and guardian, and one of the members of the Golden Trio.

Snape smirked, noticing Draco's reaction. Hermione looked deep in thought. She was remembering their kiss, and she wondered how far it would have gone had she forgotten about the bezoar stones.

"Draco, may I continue?" Snape asked, sarcastically. "I think you two should consider going into a career greatly involving potions. I couldn't help but notice how Draco had the potion memorized"

"I had it memorized, too!" Hermione protested, slightly angry.

"In any case, you are both exceptionally good at potions, and I believe that a career in it would be very easy to achieve."

They nodded.

"You may leave now" he said, getting up. He heard one pair of footsteps leave his room, and looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I dismissed you"

"I've got detention for the rest of the month, sir"

I am relieving you of your detention for tonight." he answered, slightly bothered that he hadn't remembered.

"Sir, I don't blame you for what happened today" she began, he cut her off

"Very well. Now kindly leave my room!"

"Professor," she looked down at the floor "I liked it."

She turned and left the room, leaving a very confused Snape behind.

He blamed Gryffindor recklessness for her little confession, but couldn't figure out why she had lied. _Perhaps she wasn't lying_ a little voice whispered in his head _for all you know, she might have actually liked it._ "Oh shut up" he told the voice, and walked away from his office, to his chambers.

As he was taking a shower, he thought back to the little storage closet. He remembered the feel of her soft lips on his, the feel of her small hands on his back, his shoulders, in his hair. He recalled the feel of her small body pressed against his. Her tongue against his. He memorized the shape of her body. Then, he twisted the shower tap, shivering when the cold water came in contact with his body.

_Oh, bugger it. I liked it too._

The next morning, Severus Snape found himself in need of another icy cold shower.

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><p>Hermione woke up. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep, and was glad to see none of her things had been tampered with. Her heart was pounding. She couldn't remember exactly what the dream had been about, but from her reaction, she could guess. Her Professor had been on her mind all evening last night, and had continued to stay in her head throughout the night.<p>

She quickly got up and packed her books, almost running down to breakfast. She knew she was rushing so that she would be able to look at Snape, but didn't want to admit it. She was just hungry. _Yes, hungry...for more kisses from her professor. _When she arrived at the Great hall, Anthony Goldstein was the only student there. She saw McGonagall at the Head table, and... yes! _He_ was sitting in his usual seat, his eyes on his plate. She looked around. The room was decorated with pink, red, and white.

Valentine's Day!

That was why there wasn't anyone there so early, they were sleeping in, taking advantage of the free day. Oh, well. She took a seat at the Gryffindor table, sneaking glances at her Professor, who appeared oblivious. That couldn't be further from the truth. Actually, whenever she looked at him, he felt it. Her strong gaze. He felt like it was burning him, and it took all of his willpower not to look at her. He could only hope Minerva wouldn't notice, for she would question him extensively, and if she found out about the kiss... he would be kicked out for sure.

Hermione slowly finished her breakfast, dragging each bite out longer than necessary. She immediately noticed when he stood up, and she quickly finished eating. She stood up just as he passed her- although he was on the other side of the table- and they exited the Great Hall at the same time. Minerva was engrossed in her book, leaving the Ravenclaw to puzzle over what had just happened. Even when the Hall was full of people, the students made an effort not to leave when the Great Bat left. He shrugged, promising himself he would look into it, and finished his breakfast.

* * *

><p>Draco headed to the Great Hall. He turned a corner just in time to see Granger and Snape leaving the Great Hall at the same time.<p>

"Snape!" Draco called

"Yes?"

"Would you come over here?"

"Of course."

Draco watched Hermione consider waiting for Snape, and then watched her leave in the direction of the Gryffindor Tower.

"Snape, what was that?"

"What was what, Draco?"

"Why was Granger following you? Why didn't you do anything?"

Severus shrugged

"NO! SNAPE, WHAT HAPPENED? DO YOU... DOES SHE..." he took a deep breath "what is going on with you two? One little kiss and suddenly she's your shadow? Please tell me that nothing else has happened..."

"Draco, calm yourself. Nothing is going on... Please mind your own business and go eat something. I have work to do."

Draco watched as Snape walked off. He shook his head, the old bat was going in the wrong direction.

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for reading, please review!**


	6. Part VI

**A/N this continues where the last chapter left off.**

**Also, thank you for all of your reviews, favourites, and story alerts!**

**yes, this update was rather quick, but I wanted it up as soon as I finished writing it... fifteen minutes ago? Haha!**

**ps. This is one of my shorter chapters... don't be too mad at the ending, I will post the next chapter as soon as possible. This weekend at the latest.**

**Enjoy! (And review XD)  
><strong>

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><p>He cursed. He was going the wrong way, towards the Ravenclaw common room instead of to the dungeons. He doubled back. After climbing down what mush be hundreds of flights of stairs, he arrived at his room, he mumbled the counter-spells to his wards, and sat down on his bed. He flopped backwards and his bed sagged slightly. He felt content enough to stay like that for the rest of the day, perhaps the rest of his life. He felt someone approach his room, trough the wards. Curious, he let them pass his wards safely, saving the poor student from a rather nasty shock. He heard a knock on the door, and wondered who it might be.<p>

"Professor, I'm here for my six hour long detention." He heard a strong, but distinctly female voice call. Granger.

He stood up, and prepared himself mentally for what would most likely be a very challenging day. Then, he got an idea. He pulled open his door, and was met with the sight of Hermione, her hand raised as if she was going to knock again... the audacity of this girl... "Hello Professor. I've been looking for you-"

"Yes, yes. Follow me." He stepped out of his room, making sure the wards were back in place, and began walking. Hermione followed him eagerly, although she walked a bit cautiously, not wanting to trip and fall. The corridor seemed to become smaller-the celing sloping downwards and the walls closing in. She had never been in this part of the dungeons, and looked around. They emerged from the "shrinking" corridor into what she knew to be the Slytherin common room. She was in awe. She hadn't expected anything in the dungeons to be this... luxurious.

"This is the common room, we are going to my personal supply cabinet and then back to the classroom" he said, snapping her back into reality. He spoke as if he were taking her on a tour of the dungeons. Knowing him, he was probably being sarcastic.

As they began walking again, her mind drifted back to that room. She had never before been in the Slytherin common room, and Harry and Ron had never described it well in second year. Her "dream"... well, she hadn't been paying much attention. The ceilings were high and arched. All of the doors had snakes carved into the door-frames. The furniture was a silvery-grey, and the decorations- lamps, curtains, pillows- were green. She must have stopped walking because Snape suddenly said "Miss Granger, hurry up."

She hurried behind him, taking in what she saw. When they finally reached the storage closet, he walked in, grabbed a few ingredients, and continued walking down the same hallway.

"Erm, professor, didn't you say we would go back to the classroom?"

He nodded.

"Then why are we going this way to the dormitories?"

"To get Mister Malfoy" he replied, as if he had explained this to her beforehand "I want you two to brew some potions for me. I want to see just how good of a potions master Draco is, and how good of a potions Mistress you are." He didn't wait for her to nod, or acknowledge his explanation, and kept walking. He stopped at a door. She didn't know how he knew this was Draco's room, but he was the Head of House, it was his job.

He knocked on the door. He was fairly certain Draco was in the room, not at breakfast. Just as he had thought, the door opened a bit. Draco saw Severus and let him in, opening the door a bit more. He was just about to shut the door when Snape placed his hand on Draco's arm to stop him. Draco looked at Snape, confused. Just then, Granger's head appeared in the doorway. She looked a bit uncomfortable, but her Gryffindor courage and bravery won her mental battle, and she stepped into the room.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Draco asked. "I thought we were going to go begin clearing out the Manor today."

Snape nodded "I double-booked my day. I gave Her-Miss Granger detention before promising you anything, so she will come first." He turned to Hermione "Your detention will be three hours long, so you should have sufficient time to get ready for the dance tonight. You two will be brewing for a bit, then we'll go to the Manor" he finished. She understood that _we_ had meant Draco and him, not her.

She scoffed; Severus Snape being considerate enough to shorten detention- not possible. _He must really care about his promise to Malfoy._

"Will she come help us after we finish brewing?" asked a very confused Draco. Snape stared at him incredulously. Had the "King of Slytherins" just invited a _muggle-born_ into his house?

"If she wishes to do so and you have no objections, I don't see why not" said Snape

"I would appreciate it if you did not talk of me while I am in the room" said Hermione.

"Very well. If we wish to get to the Manor, Draco, we should hurry with Miss Granger's detention."

The trio walked back to the potions room, and they each set up a cauldron.

"Madam Pomfrey needs some pepper-up potion, as well as some skele-gro. If you would both be so kind as to brew a bottle of each..."

Severus watched the two students' minds begin to work. He could practically hear the gears in their minds shifting, trying to remember the ingredients to each potion. He watched in surprise as Hermione turned to Draco in a strangely familiar way.

"May I brew the pepper-up? You can mix the Skele-gro"

He was amazed when Draco didn't make any snide comments, and instead gave Hermione a half-smile, and nodded. They both made their way to the supply closet, and returned with the necessary ingredients for their respective potions. Both were fairly advanced potions, but he was certain they would brew them correctly. He also walked over to the supply closet, getting ingredients for Skele-gro and pepper-up potion. With winter coming up and Quiddich practices, Madam Pomfrey could never have too little of each potion.

They brewed in silence. A few hours later, they were all bottling their potions. As Hermione and Draco cleaned up, he sent the potions up to the infirmary. He turned around to find the desks spotless, and the two students looking up at him expectantly.

"We have to inform Professor McGonagall of our leaving" he told them. They walked in relative silence up to what used to be Dumbledore's office. "Acid Pops" he whispered to the gargoyle. The students stayed behind as Severus went up to speak to Minerva.

"Malfoy, what will we be doing at your home?" Hermione asked

"It is most certainly _not_ my home. And we are clearing it out so it can be sold."

"Oh"

They stood in uncomfortable silence until Severus came down the steps. "Alright, we have been allowed to go. Although I am under orders of the Headmistress not to leave you two in the same room, alone. She fears an _innapropriate_ situation would ensue..." All three of them snorted

"If the deluded old bat thinks i would touch_ that_, she is sadly mistaken" Said Draco

"And if she thinks I would let _that_ touch me, then both of them are sadly mistaken" Hermione retorted.

Snape snickered slightly at their bickering.

They walked the short distance off of school grounds, and apparated to what Hermione thought looked like a castle from one of those muggle storybooks. Well, Draco and Severus apparated; Hermione hung onto Snape's arm. She didn't know why her stomach did a flip when she touched his arm, and told herself it was because she was anticipating the apparation. It was as uncomfortable as ever, feeling as if you were being pushed through a tiny opening. Draco looked at the Manor in disgust. "Welcome to my lovely home" he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

They made their way up the long pathway to the door. When Draco pushed it open, Hermione's jaw dropped to the floor. It was the most magnificent house she had ever seen. Easily the size of a muggle hotel. She couldn't fathom why he would want to sell it, but presumed she would find out shortly- when she was younger her parents had taught her the importance of patience. They began walking- she didn't know where- and their footsteps echoed through the house. They passed through the room Hermione had been tortured in, and she shivered. Both Draco and Severus noticed.

"Are you _cold_, Granger?" Draco sneered, on the verge of laughter.

"No... just... this room brings back some... unpleasant memories"

He immediately sobered up. He had forgotten that his Aunt Bella had tortured Granger here. He didn't particularly care about her feelings, but he knew that he would feel the same if someone forced him to go up to the Astronomy Tower. He hadn't been able to go back there since he had been asked to kill Dumbledore. He hadn't even done anything, yet he felt guilty. Granger had been tortured here, and she wasn't crying or screaming- as he would be doing on the Astronomy Tower. Common Gryffindor. Severus didn't know what had happened here, but from the way Hermione was trembling, it hadn't been good. From Draco's expression, he also suspected Draco felt guilty.

They walked past a row of books, which immediately made Hermione perk up. She turned her head, to read the titles. She shivered after reading a few. _How to Kill Someone in Three Easy steps_. _How to Torture and Maim... Without Killing Your Victim._

She shivered, again. They noticed, again.

"My father's personal favourites" Draco mumbled, pulling at his collar, looking very embarrassed. Severus watched her, noticing how she forced herself to calm down, closing her eyes just a second longer than necessary. He saw her take a deep breath, and open her eyes. Snape noticed all of these little things, completely missing Draco's stare. Had Snape looked at Draco, he would have noticed Draco's furrowed brows and narrowed eyes.

When Snape looked up, he began walking faster, falling into step beside Draco.

"Continue like that and_ I'll_ be the one watching you two" he said, partly worried, and partly amused. Maybe a tad disgusted- it was true.

"What are you going off about, Draco?"

"You're staring at Granger in a way that disgusts me. You should see yourself in a mirror, your pupils are so dilated..."

"I'm not above hexing you in your own home, Draco" his Professor warned in a low voice. He most certainly _wasn't _feeling aroused just from looking at her, as Draco was insinuating.

Draco scoffed. Severus didn't frighten him. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, seeing Granger catching up to them, her strides matching their own. They rounded a corner, and he stopped abruptly. Both Severus and Hermione were glad they hadn't been walking behind the young man, or they surely would have bumped into him_._

"This is where we will be starting" Draco stated in a strong voice. Severus, having known the boy since he was born, could detect the slight tremor in his voice, and idly wondered if Hermione had noticed it too. If she had, she was hiding her reaction...well. Draco muttered a password to the door, and the intricate pattern of snakes carved across the wood began to untangle, as if _they_ were the lock on the door. They proceeded to arrange themselves in a way to spell out the words _Welcome, Draco, Severus, and Mudblood._ Draco pointed his wand at the snakes spelling out the "M" word, and they quickly rearranged themselves, now spelling out _Hermione._ He didn't leave her much time to wonder why he had done that, because he immediately pushed open the door, and stepped in.

It was a fairly large room, with a fireplace on one wall, a desk directly in front of it. On the desk, there was a multitude of objects. She had no idea what they were, or what they did, but even she- the bookworm- had no particular desire to find out. Also on the desk was a small pouch of Floo powder. She gazed around the room, noticing the room wasn't as small as she had first thought. What she had assumed was a wall was a bookshelf, and there were at least ten more behind it, full of books. She had learned from experience, however, and didn't stop to look at the titles, nervously licking her lips and looking at her Professor, and the boy who had made her life _unbearable_ throughout her time at Hogwarts.

When Snape walked in, his eyes didn't look over what had been Lucius' desk, or looking around at the bookshelves he knew to be there. Instead, he looked at the Malfoy heir, Draco. Draco tried his best to look passive as he stepped in the room, but it had failed when he saw the book open on his Father's desk, the bag of Floo powder, everything looking as if his Father would step through the fireplace at any moment, to return to his book, or perhaps to call him in there to tell him stories about his ancestors. His father hadn't been the model parent, but considering who Lucius Malfoy had been working with, his father had been amazing. Snape noticed the pain in Draco's expression and he felt a pain rush through him. He was in no way responsible for the death of Lucius or Narcissa, but he felt like he needed to make _it_ up to Draco. Of course, he had no idea what _it_ was.

It seemed that lately, that was how he felt, guilty, but unable to fix it- not even knowing why he felt guilty.

"How should we start, Severus?" Draco asked, then turned to Hermione "In my house, we will address each other by first names_. _I will not call you Granger, or Mudblood. Here, you are simply Hermione." He turned away from her, only just catching sight of her shocked expression. "Severus, you are included in this. You are in my home, both you and Hermione will refer to me as Draco, and Hermione and I will refer to you as Severus, and Granger is Hermione to the both of us, understood?" he asked, looking between them, reading their expressions with ease. His mother had taught him the subtle changes in expressions when he was a young boy, and he had picked up on it immediately. He had learned that those who were angry often clenched their jaws, and looked directly at his eyes, their pupils dilating and then returning to normal just to dilate again. When people were happy, their breathing was less noticeable- quieter. When they were sad, their eyes deepened, and one felt they could reach into the others' soul just by lookin gat those eyes too long. In their expressions, he saw a mixture of surprise- Hermione- and puzzlement- Severus _and_ Hermione, and lastly, agreement. He let out a breath- one he hadn't known he was holding, and turned to Severus again "how do we st-"

"We will begin by going through your father's many...knickknacks. It will be a long process- we will have to make sure there are no traces of dark magic on them- but it will make the rest of the work _much_ easier."

The two students nodded.

Draco did a full rotation, and then looked at Snape "Sev, where does he keep these...trinkets of his?"

Severus grimaced "He put blood wards on it. Only the blood of a Malfoy will open it. Then, he asked me to make a set of traps to stop anyone getting in by force... to actually get in." he barked out a laugh, one that reminded her of Sirius very much.

Draco looked sick "How exactly must this blood be... distributed?"

Snape smiled, a tense, short smile. "You need to write "Malfoy" on the wall, and the door will open."

Draco looked up sadly, pointed his wand at his left hand and muttered "_incidere_" at the tip of his ring finger. Blood rushed out of the new wound, and Draco pressed his finger against the wall, glad the spell made a small, pinprick sized hole, so he could write it neatly and didn't have to worry about losing too much blood.

A door appeared, and Lucius Malfoy sat there, just past the doors, sipping some tea.

"Why, hello, how nice of you to drop in."


	7. Part VII

**A/N  
><strong>

**Alright, I'm sorry, it's another short chapter, I apologize. This seemed like a good place to stop, so I did. I actually wrote this and the next chapter as one, then decided to break them up (which means the next chapter will be up by Monday, maybe Tuesday) so here you go.**

**I (_very, very, very, **_very, very, very, **_very, very, very, **_very, very, very, **_very, very, very unfortunately)_**_**_**_**_******** do not own Harry Potter.********  
><strong>

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><p>Draco's mouth popped open audibly "Father?" he whispered, stepping closer to what looked like Lucius Malfoy; from the way his eyes were set, to the way he held his shoulders. Snape, however, knew the truth.<p>

"You love cherry pies" he muttered, and "Lucius" turned into dust. Hermione knew this enchantment, but couldn't remember where... aha! Grimmauld Place. She guessed Snape and Lucius had made the "password" so odd because, should any Death Eaters come, they wouldn't in a million years guess it. That way, they wouldn't get their hands on whatever he was hiding. If the password had been something like '_you're dead_'_, _the person might say it out of surprise, and be allowed passage. She observed and analyzed as if it was a homework assignment, and felt a bit guilty - Draco looked pretty shaken up.

Snape looked at a very shocked and saddened face - Draco. Draco knew that his father was really and truly gone, just like Voldemort, but when he had seen his "father" he really had believed him to be real. Draco moved forwards, almost in a trance, leading them down a long nearly-dark hallway. They came up to what seemed to be another booby trap.

Hermione saw the counter and the potions resting on them. It immediately reminded her of her first year, when she had figured out the riddle Snape had left guarding the Philosopher's stone. There were two rows of potions. They were a multitude of colours, and she plucked up the note. A DING sounded through the room, and she turned around to see a countdown clock behind her shoulder. It read _12:56 minutes left_. How odd, it counted down from thirteen minutes - probably a way to trick the person into thinking it was cursed - unlucky number thirteen. Hermione plucked up the little slip of paper, getting down to buisness.

"Essence of Dittany is to Murtlap Essence as Bogworm Spit is to what?" she read, more to herself than to Draco.

Racking her brain, she concluded that Dittany is stronger and more effective than Murtlap, which meant the Bogworm spit was stronger and more effective than... something. Even with her extensive knowledge on more or less everything, she had never heard of Bogworm spit being used in a potion. She had heard of Bogworms, and their eyes were used in numbing potions, could their spit also be used to numb? She didn't know. A look at the clock told her she had less than seven minutes to figure it out. She desperately wished she had some books. She suddenly heard Draco mumbling behind her. She looked at him, noticing Snape was gone.

"The spit of a Bogworm is used in an ancient numbing potion, that was widely used in medieval times, when they had no potions to knock people out before amputating limbs." he said, almost reciting. She looked at the not again. Dittany had been _discovered_ in medieval times. Maybe the unknown potion had been used when the Murtlap was discovered?

"It is in use nowadays" she stated, realizing Murtlap had been discovered only decades ago.

Draco's eyes brightened "torpeo" he mumbled, pleased with himself "the leaf of the torpeo plant"

She nodded slowly. "The liquid squeezed from it is a dark red, almost purple colour." They both looked at the potions present, and looked angry to find six or seven out of the dozen potions were dark red. She suddenly remembered something important, the consistency of the extract was very thick. SHe reached forward to pull a bottle up to shake, but instead felt a little shock. She pulled her hand back, defeated. There were only two minutes left.

Draco pulled his wand out, and poked the vial with the tip. It sloshed back and forth "not it" they both said. Four vials later, they found the right one. She reached to take it, and she felt another shock. She growled, then tried levitating it to her. It didn't work. "number four" she said, and the vial glowed red. She reached forward to grab it, and grumbled when it shocked her _again._ Draco smirked, and spoke "Yes, number four. I want number four" It now glowed white, and then disappeared with a _pop_ they began walking forwards, and found Snape in front of them.

"It seems that if you created the trap, it doesn't let you help the others" he explained, to their puzzled looks.

They walked through another hallway. This one was pitch-black. There was no light anywhere, and it made every sound, every movement seem loud and sudden. They arrived at something that looked like a small river, although it was too wide to jump over. Snape disappeared, and they knew this was another trap he had designed. They looked around, and found a few vials of potions ingredients. They had no clue what they could be used for, so they looked at the makeshift river. They knew their task was to cross it, so Draco tried the obvious. He _accio'd_ some rocks and transfigured them into a bridge, levitating it over the river. It settled, and Draco smirked. He was about to step on, when Hermione stopped him. He looked at her questioningly.

"We need to make sure it's sturdy" she said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"Are you questioning my transfiguration abilities?" Draco asked.

She shook her head, and picked up a small rock. She threw it onto the bridge, and it collapsed, splashing into the river. They realized the "water" was very... red. Almost like blood... She sat down, and began doing what Hermione does best - thinking. She suddenly got it.

"We need to solidify the river, and walk over it"

Draco looked at her, considering the idea, and nodded. "Duro" he said, and it solidified. Learning from experience, he took another rock, and threw it to the center of the river. It cracked the surface, and caved in. He growled. Then, remembering the potions, he said "what if we need to use the potions ingredients to solidify the river?"

Hermione ran to the vials, and picked them up. Her smile returned. "These are the ingredients needed for a thickening solution. If we add more of the Constaitia extract, it will harden even further..."

Draco rushed over, and they set to work, remembering the instructions to the potion. Draco made sure to smell each of the ingredients, to make sure what the label said was right. They were all mixed up.

"Thank you Draco, if we had added the ingredients as the labels said, we would have blown it up!"

He smiled, really smiled, and then turned to add the first ingredient into the "water". They added the ingredients in the right order, and the right amount, and the river turned solid. Grinning, she threw a rock - it didn't crack the surface. Draco threw a bigger, heavier rock, and it didn't make a mark. They stepped onto the surface cautiously, then ran to the other side. They sighed in relief, and then Hermione almost screamed as Severus appeared. He chuckled, and walked them through yet another corridor.

They reached a door, and Draco ran his fingers along the edge of the door. It opened. "That is how all of the doors magically sealed by my father are opened" he said "he could never get it right and seal all sides." They stepped in, and Hermione, Draco, and Severus felt the rush of dark magic. Snape cast a few spells, and sighed in relief. None of the objects present were emitting the feeling, it was just left over from what had been in the room before.

"You both know how to check for dark spells?" Severus asked, not wanting a repeat of what happened to Dumbledore with Tom Riddles' Father's ring.

They nodded, and sat down, Hermione in between Draco and Severus. They were far away from her, but she felt safer being in the middle.

They all started going through the piles in front of them, throwing any things with the Malfoy family crest on them to one side, the darker things in a curse-withstanding bag, and the other things to Draco, so he could figure it out - they were his.

Nearly an hour later, Hermione had finished her pile, and looked for things around her, on shelves, in corners, on tables, chairs. Severus was nearly done, and Draco had half of his pile left. The bag with darker-than-strictly-safe objects was almost full, and they had gone though the majority of the things.

"What is this Draco?" Severus said, breaking the silence with his smooth voice. The moment he picked it up, and she felt her chest grow warm. She had threaded the little charm she had found in the dungeons, onto a necklace, and it was currently heating up against her skin. She gasped, and pulled it off her neck as it grew impossibly hot. Snape looked up at her, and Draco looked...amused? She would give anything to know what was going through his head... perhaps she'd ask Severus to teach her legilimency.

"What is that Mis-Hermione?" he asked, pulling a face as if her name was a particularly sour lemon.

"I... found it... in the...dungeons prof-Severus" she mimicked his expression, wrinkling her nose, and she could have sworn his mouth had twitched, looking like he was holding in a smile.

"What were you doing in the dungeons, Hermione? Was this the day of your... episode?"

She nodded. "I found it on the floor of a classroom, and made sure it wasn't cursed. I pocketed it to research because it has strong magic surrounding it"

"why did you throw it to the floor?"

"It burned me"

"Are you sure it isn't cursed?"

"Yes"

Draco spoke up "I know what the bracelet you're holding is, Severus."

"What is it?"

"There is a legend of sorts - a story, passed down generation to generation."

"Will you tell us the story?" Snape growled

"According to the story, back in Merlin's time, people were quite obsessed with finding their soul mates. My great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather - give or take a few greats - asked Merlin to make him a special bracelet, men wearing jewelery was a sign of power and wealth back then. The bracelet would unite him with his perfect match, his soul mate. It worked, and he married a wonderful, caring, lovely woman. He passed it onto his son, and he to his son, and so on. It is what helped the Malfoy line stay strong."

"So are you saying that according to a family story, I will find my" he sneered "soul mate with _this_?"

Draco shook his head, then paused, nodded, and cocked his head. "Somewhere down the line, a charm fell off of the bracelet and couldn't be fixed, no matter what spell was used. The charm on the bracelet still worked, to an extent, but the woman who found the charm slowly became infatuated with the wearer. She was, you see, a completely random person - the one who found it - and whoever found it eventually got their heart broken. Just to let you know, you _are_the owner of that. It was supposed to be passed on to me, but with my father bring killed before he passed it along to me, the ownership is lost. The first person who finds after the death of the previous owner is the new owner, like with many magical objects when their master dies."

Severus absorbed the information, but Hermione - not called the brightest witch of her time for nothing - understood first. She found the charm, he was the master. She would - according to Draco's story - fall madly in love with Snape and end up getting her heart broken when he found his soul mate.

Great... Abso-bloody-lutely great.

Severus' eyes widened as his mind grasped the idea, then narrowed his eyed at Hermione. She refused to pick the charm up, crossing her arms. Severus turned to Draco, who looked a bit frightened when he saw his Godfather's murderous expression.

"I think we're done for the day" squeaked Draco, looking more and more panicked by the second. Severus, thankfully, turned on his heel, and led them from the room, obviously unsettled by Draco's story.

Hermione didn't know how she felt. She should be mad at both of them for not sitting down to discuss what they could do, but she simply couldn't be. Draco had been fairly nice to her here, not calling her a mudblood (which he did less and less frequently these days). And Severus, well, he was a victim in this thing too. She didn't want to ruin whatever had changed in all three of their relationships.

They walked out of the Manor in silence, Severus ten steps ahead of them, fuming. Draco and Hermione walked beside each other, needing someone to help them feel safe from Snape. If it came to a duel, Hermione and Draco both knew Snape would win - he was simply the superior wizard, but there was safety in numbers... right? They all dissaperated into the night, Hermione clinging to Draco this time. Also, her stomach didn't flip flop this time. They arrived near Hogwarts, and walked up to the school, still in silence.

As she lay in her bed later that night, she finally let herself cry. It wasn't about Ron or Harry for the first time in weeks, it was about the unfairness of it all. Even if they didn't want to think about the charm, it existed, and it would win over their minds, no matter how hard they tried to resist it. Snape would fall in love with someone like him - his soul mate- and she would be an observer, always yearning to be with Snape, who wouldn't even give her a second glance.

She sighed, what had happened to her nice, orderly life?

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><p><strong>Oh, snap! Angry Snape... <em>shiver.<em>**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please review!**


	8. Part VIII

**A/N Sorry for the delay, my computer broke down, and I had to get someone to fix it...**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

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><p>Damn it all.<p>

Damn Draco.

Damn the bracelet.

Damn the stupid story.

Damn his pathetic love life.

He was forgetting something... Ah, yes. Hermione. Damn her too.

What the hell was he supposed to do about this? As a Slytherin, he prided himself on his ability to completely ignore others' feelings. However, he - for reasons he could not discern - felt absolute, true pain at the thought of Hermione getting hurt over the pathetic little bracelet. He quickly convinced himself it was just his years of teaching telling him not to get her hurt; it would result in tears, and tears were_ not_ good. He told himself it was just a self preservation tactic. Deep down, he knew he didn't truly believe that.

Snape stared at the wall, wishing he had something that would make a nice crashing sound while breaking to throw at it. He shrugged his cloak off, getting ready to fall into bed, or drink himself into oblivion, but heard a soft jingling sound coming from inside his pocket when it fell off of his shoulders. He reached in to investigate, smiling a bit at the softness of this particular cloak. That was one thing the Dark Lord had done that Severus didn't particularly mind - give him money. Working at Hogwarts didn't make anyone rich, but one could live comfortably. Severus, on the other hand, was practically made of money... thanks to Voldemort.

His hand closed around the thing in his pocket, and he pulled it out, praying it wasn't what he thought it was.

It was.

The bracelet lay in his hand, looking as innocent as ever. He knew he hadn't put it there, and doubted Hermione had... Perhaps Draco? No. The bracelet had gotten into his pocket by itself. That made him incredibly suspicious. Lucius had been known for having unnecessarily dangerous objects in his house, but the tests he had done on the bracelet showed no signs of Dark magic. Or any kind of magic... it was highly suspicious.

Whatever, he thought (rather girlishly), damn it all to hell.

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><p>A lone figure made its way to the kitchens. It slipped through the doors, and silently strode towards the nearest house-elf. Handing the poor elf a coin, the figure whispered "Here, a shiny coin, just what you like. It can be yours if you swear to me that you will put this," the shape pulled out a tiny vial filled with liquid, "into Ronald Weasley's goblet at breakfast next Monday." The house elf's eyes were still on the coin - its eyes following the coin almost hypnotically, and it – the house elf – nodded. It grabbed the little vial, and then the coin, looking at it with eager eyes. Then, it shuffled away.<p>

The witches own eyes lit up greedily, and clouded over with lust, just a bit, wondering if her plan would work...no, _knowing_ her plan would work. How could it not? She made her way back to Gryffindor tower, and fell asleep quickly. She dreamt of Ronald Weasley that night.

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><p>Hermione rubbed her eyes, clearing them of the cloudiness of sleep. She had fallen asleep earlier than usual last night. She sighed. She couldn't remember her dream, but it had left a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. A sort of heart-fluttering, butterflies-in-stomach type of feeling. Good God! She sincerely hoped it had nothing to do with Draco's silly story from the night before. Groaning, she pulled herself off her bed, thoughts of last night ridding her of the delightful feeling her dreams had left. She trudged to the bathroom. To Hermione, it felt like she had slept in, but in truth, it was still so early, none of her roommates were awake yet!<p>

She splashed some water on her face, and quickly brushed her teeth the way her parents had taught her to do since she was young - well. Her heart ached as she remembered her parents. Oh how she wished she had never tampered with their memories...

She pulled her school robes on, accidentally pushing the cloak she had placed on top off - the one she had been wearing the night before. She would have left it there, had she not heard the small _plink_ sound. She pulled the cloak off of the ground, and closed her eyes after seeing what was on the floor. The charm. And there they went, her hopes of having even a _slightly_ peaceful morning, straight out the window.

She pulled on her robes, once again slipping the charm into her pocket, and rushed up to the Great Hall. Entering it, she was greeted with a familiar sight. The Great Hall was almost empty. Just a handful of students were sitting down, and there were only two Professors sitting at the Head Table. Her eyes passed over everyone, slowing down of their own accord when it was Severus' turn. He didn't look up, but she knew he could feel her gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, and she almost burst out laughing. She had managed to make the former Death Eater-turned-War Hero uncomfortable enough to fidget! As she sat down and began eating her usual breakfast of eggs, she felt his gaze pass over her. She froze, now realizing why he had fidgeted. It was very uncomfortable to have someone stare at you. She should be used to it - the eyes on her, the cameras, the whispers - but this somehow seemed more intimate, more personal. It finally made her squirm, and she could have sworn she heard Snape's chuckle; but upon looking back up at the table, he appeared engrossed with his food.

_Haha, wimp!_ She thought, shaking her head.

She obviously hadn't expected a greeting, or even so much as a nod from her Potions Professor, but refusing to meet her eyes... Was this because of the charm bracelet; the story? Did the Mighty Unfeeling Bat of the Dungeons feel... Sad? Ashamed? Bad for her? Guilty? Happy? She had no idea, and because she was Hermione Granger, the one who always knew everything, she felt unsettled not knowing how Snape was feeling. Not that she cared, right?

What she did know was that last night - the dance - had left everyone (including the teachers who had been chaperoning) so tired, that they pushed classes down a full hour that day. Maybe she could go to the library and read for a bit? Her morning now seemed slightly better. The library was her friend and would be there through thick and thin; it had proven itself by showing it could handle a war easily. Not one of the books had been damaged by the fire being thrown around, or the blood. She was grateful for that. The poor inanimate (mostly) objects didn't know how much they had helped her. Without them, she surely would have gone crazy with the recent lack of contact with people.

She speared a piece of sausage onto her fork. What should she read about today? She almost smiled. This question was her equivalent of the common question "_what should I wear today"? _Oh, how she missed speaking to others; laughing at their jokes instead of listening to the monologue in her head.

She was about to get up from her seat when Professor McGonagall got up.

"Hermione!" she called, making her way over to where Hermione was standing

"Yes, Professor?"

"I have noticed that you are doing exceptionally well in all of your classes. I was wondering if you would be open to the idea of being a tutor for first and second years who are having trouble in those areas...?"

Hermione was stunned. Had Professor McGonagall really _not_ noticed the low marks she had been receiving lately? Obviously not. Well, if she wanted to become a teacher at Hogwarts after graduating, she would need experience... well, why not?

"Of course, Professor. I would love to!" Hermione didn't need to fake her excitement; she was looking forward to imparting some of her knowledge to the younger students. The headmistress nodded, and smiled. It was a fairly odd expression on McGonagall's face - she didn't normally smile, but she made the exception for her favourite student. Hermione felt happiness well up inside of her. Her old head of house was proud of her; the witch she had - and still - looked up to was _proud_.

The rest of the day passed faster than Hermione could have ever imagined. With her plan to become a teacher looking more and more like a real possibility, she worked hard through all of her classes, staying awake ever through all of the boring ones, namely, History of Magic. She had to know everything and more if she wanted to help those kids.

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><p>The day was completely different for Severus Snape. It dragged on and on, hour... by... painful... hour. Nothing particularly interesting happened; no exploding cauldrons, no unfortunate accidents. The students gave him no reason to yell at them, although Merlin knew he had tried. He didn't have a chance to take off any points, and everyone listened to his instructions. He assumed they were all very tired (and maybe even hungover) from the dance last night, but that didn't mean they got off easy. He gave all of the students he taught a whole pile of homework, all due the next class. He knew he would kick himself over it later, when it finally hit him that he would have to mark it all, but at the moment, he just wanted to get a rise out of a student so that he could yell. Alright, that sounded cold-blooded, even to him, but, as a man who had a daily requirement of nastiness, he <em>needed<em> someone - something to scream at.

He held his forehead in his hands, awaiting Hermione Granger. Perhaps she would be willing to let him yell at her...

"Professor?"

She stood at the door, looking nervously at him. He must look like a mess; the full day of brewing amd teaching making his greasy-looking hair _actually_ greasy. He gestured at her to enter.

"Take a seat Miss Granger" he said. As she approached, making her way to her usual seat, he felt his anger slowly drifting away. It was as if someone had just drained him of his frustration and anger, leaving a feeling he was new to, one he couldn't correctly name. If he had to describe it, he would say he felt nervous, excited, and... just content. Of course, that made no sense at all. Why would he be nervous in the presence of a witch, a student? Excited... about what exactly? He couldn't answer that. Content...Bah! What a completely worthless and boring emotion.

"We...you will be do-" his voice broke off. She looked at him, questioning him. The moment she locked eyes with him, the feeling he had gotten when she walked in returned, ten times stronger. She gasped, and found she couldn't look away. His eyes - the same ones she had called cold and unfeeling countless times - were swimming with a myriad of emotions. They matched hers: wild but deep. What could that mean? What was this?

They both gasped when the objects in their pockets heated up. They broke their shared gaze to chuck the offending objects onto the floor. The two objects crashed into one another, and melded perfectly into one, and then duplicated. Now, lying on the floor in front of them, were two identical charm bracelets. One glowed pink, and the other blue. They looked at each other suspiciously, and then Hermione - ever the brave Gryffindor - picked up the pink one, and slid it onto her slender wrist. It distorted, heated up, and shrank until it fit her wrist perfectly. She noticed the intricate details, and admired its beauty. She looked up at Snape,

"You can't possibly expect me to put that on, can you?" he asked

She nodded "That is exactly what I expect," she answered, and then, as an afterthought, she added "Sir."

He picked it up as if it would burn him - it had once, who said it wouldn't happen again? - and then gingerly slipped it onto his right wrist. It seemed to sense that he had no desire to wear a bracelet, so it expanded, disappeared, and then re-appeared around his neck, as a sort of necklace. It then seemed to sense he wasn't the type of person to wear jewelry at all, so it popped into his hand, and changed into letters to spell _keep on your person_. It turned into a bracelet again, and he slipped it on, curious. It melted into his skin - or seemed to anyway - and it turned into a tatoo... of a bracelet. He sneered at it.

"Really? _Another_ tattoo on my arm?"

Hermione let out a snort; it had been exactly what she was thinking. Now, Snape had the Dark Mark on his left forearm, and the tattoo of the bracelet on his right. He looked at her, and raised an eyebrow, letting her know that he didn't appreciate her little outburst, thank you very much. He felt around in his pocket, and there it was, the bracelet.

"It said 'keep on your person', which probably means you need to have it for the charm or whatever to work."

"Yes, I get it, Miss Granger. If you would please get started. I want you to go into the storage room and make a list of the ingredients and supplies I need to buy." he told her

She nodded, and shuffled off to do as he had asked. He sat down at his desk again, sighing.

An hour and a half later, Hermione walked out of the storage room, handed him a piece of parchment, and walked out. He was too stunned to stop her - no one had ever walked out of detention without his dismissal before - and scowled. He glanced down at the paper she had given him. Not only had she listed the ingredients, she had put them in columns. One for _available on school grounds_, another for _available for sale,_ and yet another for _not indigenous to Europe._ It was just as he would have made it. He sighed, irritated, the old anger returning to him.

He went to bed that night angry, and confused. What had happened in the classroom? What did the bracelet - or tattoo in his case - mean? His sleep that night was very troubled.

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><p><strong>AN Hi, I'm pissing myself off with the short chapters...**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!**


	9. Part IX

**A/N Ok, a fast update... but a reeeaally short one. I had to end it off there because...well, just _because._**

**Also, Linda, if you read this, umm I really intended for Draco to have _accidentally_ brushed his finger over Snape's but... hmmmm. I'll think about it. Thanks for your review**

**Another also... thank you to **

**LemonDropsWoolSocks**

**LK-HoGwArTs-hEaDgIrL**

**Applejax XD**

**who reviewed on a bunch of the chapters! Thank you!  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Sunday, February 18<strong>

The next few days passed easily. Severus fell back into his routine, and his students finally learned how to act so he wouldn't get angry (to do their homework, and study for tests). Hermione gave him no trouble, and the incident with the bracelets quickly slipped from the front of his mind, although he couldn't completely forget it. There was a pretty clear reminder of it on his wrist. He made sure to keep the bracelet with him, as it had requested. He didn't want to test it out to see exactly what would happen if he didn't.

It was finally the weekend. No more dunderheads to teach, what joy! Unfortunately, he was still stuck with marking all of the essays and tests he had handed out recently; he had promised himself not to procrastinate anymore. His motivation was that if he finished marking it all by Monday, he would have the pleasure of seeing their beautifully horrified faces when they saw how pitifully they had done! That thought did help him, but even with staying up until all hours of the morning, he barely managed to finish them all by the time the end of the weekend approached.

In his youth, many people around him had remarked how lovely Saturdays were. He, however, had never agreed with that. Saturday, to him, was a sort of warning that Sunday was coming. Sunday was his least favourite day in the entire week. It gave you the false impression that there was a full day of relaxation left, but as the end of the day grew nearer, it let Monday (a close second in his least favourite day of the week) sneak up on you. Friday, however, was another story. At the end of a good, hard Friday, he felt refreshed. There would be no one to dampen his mood for a full two days. He could sit around and do whatever he wanted, or nothing (the two words were often taken as synonyms in his case).

Now, on Sunday, he felt the anxiety he knew every student was feeling right now. Tomorrow there would be classes, more homework - to give out or mark in his case, to do in the students' cases - and he would have to interact with utter idiots. Ah, the joys of being a teacher!

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><p><strong>Monday, February 19<strong>

Hermione had been running late, and woke up with the happy feeling she was now used to, even though she still didn't know what caused it. She didn't even know if the dreams she had - which she could never remember - had anything to do with it. She had gone through her morning routine at breakneck speed, brushing her teeth hurriedly. She was so late, that Harry and Ron - the two people she had avoided by eating early - were already at the table. She sat in her usual spot (usual _before_ the whole thing with Ron happened) beside Ron. She frowned when he looked at her, and huffed in disgust. I he wanted her to move, she thought, he will have to say it to my face. She was not going to move just because of a snort of disgust. If he really didn't want her there, he would have to tell her. He, as she had expected, just turned back to Harry - who was beside Ginny, who n turn sat across from Ron.

Hermione's frown deepened when she noticed someone sitting beside Ron, clinging to him in a way that _could not_ be comfortable for either of them. His arm was wrapped around Lavender Brown, who clutched the front of his robes as if they were her lifeline. Why did it have to be _her?_ Ron had run off to Lavender in sixth year; she had thought he learned his lesson from that. Evidently not. Well, they deserved each other. She had broken up with Ron rather harshly, but it was no reason to freeze her out...

She met Ginny's eye from across the table. That was when she noticed Harry's arm around the girl. Finally! - she thought - It sure took them long enough. Ginny looked almost apologetic, darting her eyes to Ron to indicate that she was apologizing for Ron's behaviour. Hermione let out a small, happy sigh. Maybe not all of her friends had been lost. But then why hadn't Ginny spoken to her in nearly two months then?

Ron's hand darted out to grab his cup, and her drained it of pumpkin juice, then set it down.

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><p>She watched Ron drink his pumpkin juice with glee. Her plan was finally going to happen! The potion that she had asked the house elf to put in Ron's drink was on a timer. It would begin working ten minutes into his first class. That class was the one Ron had with her. She worked hard to contain her happy feelings; it just wouldn't do for the people around her to see it. They would ask questions that she didn't want to have to answer. She might even get kicked out if her plan was revealed!<p>

When he stood up to leave, her breath hitched slightly. All the fighting from the war - as well as his quidditch practices - had toned his muscles and made him look _good_. She knew his brother Charlie also had some **huge** muscles, but Ron's were better, _hotter_. They weren't bulky or intimidating, like Charlie's, they were more...lean. It made him look strong, but not body-builder looking (which she thought looked scary). They made him look safe and welcoming. She envied Lavender at that moment. The little slut didn't deserve someone as yummy as Ron. Oh yes, Ronald Weasley was simply _delicious_. Mmm mmm mmm!

Her eyes widened when she saw that Ron had accidentally taken Hermione's cup, not his own.

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><p>"Ronald!"<p>

"What, Hermione? Did you want to insult my intelligence some more? Or just some plain insults this time?"

Hermione shook her head "Actually, no. I just wanted to comment that you just took _my_ cup and drank from it."

He looked down, and sighed "Well, just take mine then" he said, the anger leaving his voice. She wanted to say something - apologize, but before she could think of anything, he was already awkwardly getting up, Lavender still draped across him. Her eyes followed them as they walked out, presumably to get to their first class of the day, Transfiguration. Hermione had a slightly different schedule than most Gryffindors because she was "at a higher level in her studies" than they were. That meant the classes she had were shared with the same group of fifteen or so people, instead of the rest of the eighth years. That also meant that she had _no_ classes with Harry, Ginny, Ron, or Neville. Instead, her days were filled with Draco, Blaise, Dean, and the Patil twins - they were all also "ahead" of the rest of their year.

Whatever. She stood up after finishing her food, and drinking the pumpkin juice from Ron's cup.

It wasn't until she tasted the slightly bitter taste of the potion that she realized she should have sniffed it to make sure it wasn't spiked.

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><p><strong>AN So... what do you think?**

**please review!  
><strong>


	10. Part X

**A/N Boooo! Shortest chapter so far :(**

**I'm sorry for not updating in a while, I had a speech to work on and practice (which I _nailed_ today!).**

**I promise the next chapter will be longer!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>He watched the young witch curiously. Why had she made that face? It looked like the one people made after drinking a particularly bitter potion... Oh no! She wouldn't be so foolish, would she? To drink a potion. If her face was any indication, she hadn't known about the potion until she drank it. How could that be? She had survived a war! She couldn't have dropped her guards instantly, and expected no danger. There <em>were<em> pure-bloods out there who wanted revenge for her defeating the man who claimed to be fighting the war for pure-blooded people. Poisoning her drink was obvious, and anyone would have expected her to sniff it to make sure there wasn't something like a _potion_ in there!

He waited until the students in the Great Hall began filtering out. He waited until there were only a few people left, and then _accio'd_Hermione's goblet to investigate. He didn't care (or so he told himself) about Hermione, it was just a habit from his days as a spy. He was just looking for information to pass onto someone else down the line. Right?

He lifted the goblet to his nose, and inhaled deeply. After many years as a potions master, Severus Snape's sense of smell was extraordinarily accurate. Oftentimes, he could list the ingredients in a potion just from a single whiff of it. This was slightly harder. He had to separate the pumpkin smell from whatever had been put into the drink. When he finally smelled it, he coughed. It was amortentia.

Well, on the upside, for Hermione - he thought - it's not a lust potion! But that also meant that it could have been anyone with access to Hogsmeade, as he knew no one had stolen from the storage cupboards. If it _had_ been lust potion, he would have a smaller list of suspects - his eighth year class. He placed the goblet back on the table, and walked out of the almost empty Great Hall. So, Hermione had been dosed with amortentia, which meant she would fall in love with the person who put it in her goblet... No. He had smelled a different ingredient - one often used it potions which have a set time to begin working.

In this case, he thought it would change the properties of the potion, so that the person affected would realize the love they had for the first person they saw when the potion began working. That seemed risky. What if the person dosing the person wasn't the first the victim saw? Maybe the point was to poke some fun at Hermione while torturing the poor boy (or girl) who she "fell in love with".

That seemed like something a Slytherin would do, while at the same time something they would never dream up. Slytherins were not subtle with their ways of revenge. If they wanted to make fun, they said it to someone's face. If they wanted revenge, they made it obvious that they were doing it for revenge. If a Slytherin had a grudge, they made it known. No, the potion-in-drink thing was _not _the work of a Slytherin. Then who?

He didn't have time to dwell on that any longer, he had a class to teach - the eighth years! He had a particularly interesting (in his opinion) class planned for today...

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><p>Holy crap! She was hyperventilating. Did someone want to poison her? Who could it be? Wait, the goblet had been Ron's. Someone wanted to poison Ron? Who? Why? But the potion had tasted like... It had <em>tasted<em> like the smell of parchment, cut grass, and the unique smell of potions fumes. Was it amortentia? It couldn't be, because only one person she knew smelled like potions fumes - Snape! And she most certainly did _not_ love Snape, and to smell something in amortentia would mean she loved it.

Oh, bugger! She had potions first this morning...well, perhaps she could ask him to help her? No, it was a lost cause. Snape would never help a Gryffindor, especially with a joke the Slytherins probably thought up!

She made her way towards the potions room. There was a group of students waiting outside the door - her classmates - and they were waiting for Snape, who had forgotten to lift his wards. When they finally caught sight of their Professor's billowing cape, their conversations stopped immediately, and arranged themselves in a way that would not aggravate their teacher, as they didn't know what his mood was, and what might make it sour.

"Class, get into the room" he said, his voice a touch sterner than usual. He took a deep breath, and turned to face the class, immediately beginning his lesson.

"Antidotes. Very important in potions. Never attempt to test a new potion unless you have the antidote handy. Now, it is not always easy to make an antidote. In fact, it is often harder. I trust you all read the chapter on antidotes...?" Most of the class nodded "That is why, for this lesson, I will hand out a potion to each group of two - same partners as last time - and you and your partner will try to find the antidote-"

Snape was cut off by the entrance of Blaise Zabini. All eyes in the room focused on the boy, who, in his defense, looked ashamed for being late.

All of a sudden, Hermione felt something shift in her. Suddenly, she saw Blaise in a whole new light. Had she really never appreciated his well defined jaw, or long, delicate fingers? He would make a wonderful pianist. She idly wondered what else he could do with those fingers...

She stared at him until he sat down.

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><p>Snape looked at Blaise with indifference. That boy was always running late! Severus expected him to apologize, then walk over to his seat, as he always did. Snape's eyes were focused on Hermione, as if they knew that something was about to change.<p>

All of a sudden, he felt a burning on his wrist, and he hissed in pain. The tattoo hadn't bothered him until now; what had changed? His eyes flickered from Hermione to Blaise. She was staring at him in absolute rapture. Snape wasn't sure what was going on, until his brain stopped paying attention to the searing pain coming from his forearm, and put the pieces together. The amortentia was beginning to work. It must be very potent if it had this much of an effect on her after such a short amount of time.

It didn't explain why his chest felt like it was being ripped in two, though. _It must be the effects of the bracelet,_ he thought.

Severus Snape found that, throughout the rest of the lesson, his thoughts couldn't (or didn't want to) stray from the girl sitting in the front row.

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><p>"Granger!" he yelled, for the fifth time in a row. Why was she staring at Blaise like he was some God? She had been in this class before, what had changed in that unusually large brain of hers?<p>

"Mmhmm?" she sighed.

He growled. Was she going to be like this for the rest of the lesson? He had no desire to find the antidote to the amortentia that Snape had given to his and Hermione's group. Now that he thought about it, Hermione was acting like someone who had drank amortentia acted. Surely his head of house knew that, which left Draco wondering _is Snape trying to help Granger?_

If it was true, then the legend of the bracelet was true...but wait! Why was Snape acting like Hermione was his soul mate? Could it be true? He would have to read up on the type of charm that was on the bracelet to be sure. Wouldn't that be absolutely hilarious? The evil git falling in love with Gryffindor's golden girl. Draco nearly let out a laugh. He stopped himself with the thought _Malfoys don't laugh for no reason._

The rest of the lesson, Draco found himself amused at the number of times Snape's eyes lifted to look at Hermione.

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><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Ron sat in Transfiguration class. His new teacher, Professor Rawlings, was an absolute bore! Even Professor McGonagall had taught more interesting lessons! He remembered Rawlings from his fifth year in Hogwarts, she had graduated that year, and he hadn't seen or heard anything about her since then. He believed that she had gone to study abroad to avoid Voldemort, and he thought her a bit of a wimp. Why couldn't she have stayed to fight for her country alongside her friends and family. Why had she packed everything and just left? Her family, friends, life, school, and professors had been left behind, and she hadn't looked back.

He had no idea why McGonagall had been willing to hire her. Perhaps she was the only applicant? That didn't make sense. Hogwarts was considered one of the safest place in the wizarding world! Why _wouldn't _people want to work there - here? Maybe she was the only one qualified for the job of transfiguration Professor... she was lousy at it, but had a diploma in her office (where he had served detention a few times this year) that stated that the ministry took her as qualified to teach transfiguration. He didn't know how she had passed the practical exams.

Why, of why had McGonagall chosen _her?_

He looked back down at his paper, willing the answer to pop up on the sheet. Of course, nothing did. He almost missed the days when Hermione would whisper the answer to him; he hadn't failed any classes then. Now, he was woefully behind on all of his assignments, and considered himself lucky when he even vaguely understood what his teachers were telling him. He didn't need school, he was a _war hero_, and could survive for more than a few lifetimes with the money the Ministry presented him with.

He nibbled on the quill, trying to come up with some way to answer the question. He was so absorbed with his paper that he didn't notice the two eyes staring intently at him.

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><p><strong>AN so, who is staring at Ron? What do you think?**

**Please Review!**

**Hope you liked this chapter**

**ps. While typing this chapter, I accidentally broke the "c" button off, so I am now copy and pasting the letter "c" until I can get it fixed... It's irritating me! Grrrrr!  
><strong>

**:D**

**pps. Did any of you watch the MMVA's?**


	11. Part XI

**A/N Hey,I had a lot of free time on my hands, so I wrote up another chapter**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>It was after class, and Hermione deliberately packed her supplies at the same pace Blaise was so that she would get to leave the room with him. Blaise didn't seem to notice, staring at Padma Patil and lost in his own little world.<p>

Draco watched Snape's eyes narrow at Hermione before he yelled out

"Miss Granger, I would like to see you after class."

Hermione just nodded, her eyes still following Blaise longingly. Snape had just messed up her plans. Draco stifled a laugh - was Snape jealous? Of Blaise? The guy who was obviously smitten with Padma?

Draco left the classroom with the rest of his classmates, but then doubled back to eavesdrop on Hermione and Snape's conversation. He wasn't looking for information to turn into rumors, he was just looking out for the only decent man in his life - Snape. He hid in the shadows as Blaise slipped down the hall, and then he continued on his way.

"-don't want to drink that!" he heard Hermione say. Soon after that there was a grumble from Snape.

"Drink it and you can go follow Mister Zabini" Severus said, his dislike for the boy – maybe due to Hermione's little crush - was obvious in his tone. Hermione, being in a not-up-to-her-usual-standards state, didn't catch her Professor's mood. What he had said was obviously what she wanted because she immediately said

"Gimme!" Draco heard her gulp down the contents of what had to be the vial of amortentia antidote that _he _had brewed this class.

He heard Snape give a small sigh of relief, and heard Hermione plop herself down on a chair as the antidote took effect.

"I'm sorry Professor" she said immediately, ever the teacher's pet. "someone put amortentia or some variant of that into Ron's drink, which I drank..."

Draco peeked through the crack between the door and the doorframe. Snape had put his hand up to shush Hermione.

"I'm sorry" she apologized again "I was rambling and that was completely uncalled for and I didn't notice the potion until I tasted it and it tasted like the smell of, erm, you." her voice grew quieter by the end, and Draco took in Snape's shocked/bewildered/deer-caught-in-headlights look. It was all rather amusing.

All of a sudden, Hermione launched herself at Draco's godfather. She pressed her lips to his, and pulled him closer to her. Her lips attacked his in a flurry of movements, although all of them had a soft edge to them, rather than the hard, violent feel one would expect.

Draco felt sick.

Hermione grew frantic, and she, in a burst of strength, pushed Snape back against his desk. Her pushes forced him to lean back onto his hands, which gave Hermione all the space he needed to press herself against him. Her lips left his, and began making a trail down his neck.

A shiver ran through Severus when her teeth bit down on a sensitive point in his neck, and then ran her tongue over the spot to soothe it.

Her lips pressed against his again, and this time she pushed her tongue into his mouth, which had not been open because of a stifled moan... what are you talking about?

Her tongue battled his, and of course he won. He gave himself a few seconds to taste this beautiful woman, to suck on her lip and tongue, and then slowed.

He tried to push her away, and this time succeeded. He looked in horror at his student, the one who had just snogged him senseless. The one who looked as if she had just been snogged senseless. If someone had asked him what his name was in that very moment, he was pretty sure he wouldn't answer correctly.

She looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her before. Her face was slightly flushed, and her pupils were dilated. Her breathing was heavy, and he could see the rise and fall of her chest clearly - her robe had come undone and he could see the tight shirt she was wearing underneath.

As quickly as the feeling had washed over Hermione, it deserted her. She raised a hand to her mouth - which was open in a perfect 'o'

"Oh... Oh dear!" she whispered, running her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over m-"

"The antidote wasn't strong enough. I apologize for not testing it first. Also, I advise you stop apologizing, it's getting irritating."

She blushed. "Is that all you wanted...? I have to... go... to..."

"You want to go study, don't you? Oh don't look so surprised - Draco" here Severus looked straight at Draco, who was still at the door "told me his schedule, and I understood yours is identical"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I want to go study" she lied. She really wanted to stay here...

Hermione followed Snape's eye, and blushed an even deeper red when she saw Draco. Snape made a motion for Draco to come in.

Draco looked frightened, and eyed Hermione. She wanted to assure Draco that she wouldn't throw herself at him, but didn't know how well she could keep that promise. After all, she hadn't planned on kissing her potions professor, who was to say that she wouldn't do the same to Draco?

Snape huffed, but when he began speaking, his tone was soft, and quiet. "what just happened will never leave this room, right?"

The two students nodded.

"Good"

Hermione looked up and met Snape's eye. There was something about this man that made her feel... Important. In his eyes, she could see her reflection – and only her reflection - and it made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. It made her feel special.

The same went for him. He could see himself reflected in those beautiful brown orbs. It made him feel needed. Loved. That was silly if course - how could anyone love him? His parents hadn't, Lily hadn't, his colleagues didn't, the ministry didn't, the Order just found him convenient, his students didn't, those student's parents didn't. Why would she be any different?

Draco looked between the two, who were staring at each other in a way that made him want to turn and flee. He pantomimed gagging, and it broke their gaze. Hermione flushed red once again, and Snape looked away, and pulled at his sleeve - something he did when he was nervous or felt out of place (for example, Draco had seen him do it when getting ready to meet with the Dark Lord).

Snape turned from them, and Draco saw Hermione deflate a bit, her face growing sad and withdrawn again. Did his godfather really make her happy?

Both Draco and Hermione recognized Severus' silent dismissal, and quietly left the classroom.

Hermione was halfway to the library when she finally acknowledged Draco, who was walking beside her.

And it was in a rather rude way

"why are you following me? Leave."

Her words cut into him. Did no one want him anymore? He pretended that it was a joke, but not before Hermione caught the momentary pain that flashed through his eyes.

"Oh, sorry" she said, her voice a bit softer. He shrugged, knowing Hermione would see through any and all lies he told.

"No worries. Hey, Her-Hermione?" he said, his voice wavering, she didn't know him well enough to realize he was faking the voice.

She turned to him worriedly

"Hmm?"

"Never, and I repeat, NEVER make out with Snape like that in front of me ever again... I mean... Blech!"

She laughed, blushed, and then looked up at him curiously

"I haven't really laughed in these past few months, thank you!"

Draco, who had been laughing, immediately sobered. "Pothead and The Mighty Weasel got you down?" he asked, sincerely curious. She just nodded.

"I don't want to talk about it, alright? Erm... What's new in your life?" she asked in an attempt to continue their conversation.

He snorted.

"Oh you know, the usual. Parents were murdered by a sadistic sociopath, my godfather conned me into coming back here, most of my friends think I'm a traitor either to Voldemort or to the light side..."

"Your parents were... Oh, Draco!" her hand lifted to rest on his arm, but he shrugged it away, not used to the idea of friendship. "I didn't know that!"

They sat in the library until their next class, reading, and walked back there together after it. They talked about everything and nothing. About schoolwork, gossip, and - Hermione's favourite - Severus Snape. Much to Draco's amusement, when he brought the topic up, Hermione had strongly blushed so hard that she had uncannily resembled a ripe tomato.

"So, Hermione... Snape..?"

"What about Se- our Professor?"

"What is going on between you two?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Are you sure?" he poked her arm, and she playfully swatted his hand away.

She didn't know how it happened, but sometime throughout the day, she had struck up a very nice friendship with her old enemy.

"Did I hear my name?" asked a silky voice from somewhere behind Hermione. She gasped and clutched at her heart with one hand, the other instinctively raising her wand. He smirked

"At least not all of your survival training was forgotten" he said, obviously alluding to the fact that she hadn't smelled her juice or food to make sure it wasn't spiked.

Draco looked a bit confused, but laughed after Severus explained it to him.

"So _that's _why you were ogling Blaise all class!" he exclaimed.

Hermione playfully crossed her arms, stood up so she was towering over Draco, and, in her sternest voice, she said

"Mister Malfoy, detention!" she burst into a fit of giggles. Snape and Draco exchanged a glance, and simultaneously shrugged their shoulders. Draco would never understand women.

The three of them discussed, talked, laughed, and joked for the rest of the day, laying a strong foundation for a strong friendship.

At the end of it, Hermione felt happier than she had in a while. YAY! She had two new, smart, witty, sarcastic, and stubborn friends! She had learned that Draco and Snape were just like her, smart, thirsting for information, and ready to argue, even if for the losing side. It turned out that Severus and Draco were really good friends, and Hermione had a lot in common with Snape. Now, if only the problem with Ron and Harry went away, she would truly be content.

She didn't think Snape knew about what was happening to her, and she hadn't wanted to ruin the light, joking mood with sad stories of her life. Maybe some other day...

If someone had told her a few months ago that she would be looking forward to meeting Snape and Draco, she would have had them sent to get their heads checked at ! How had her life had changed so drastically in a matter of weeks?

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><p><strong>AN Please review!**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this!**


	12. Part XII

**A/N This chapter is basically about Draco and Hermione's tentative friendship, because I didn't explain it well last chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Also, thank you to anyone who favourited, reviewed, or put it on alert. It really means a lot!  
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><p>Draco was in his room, pacing back and forth along the cold stone floor. Had he really just had a day full of normal conversations with a Mudbloo- Muggle Born? He didn't believe in the term Mudblood anymore, but he couldn't stop himself from thinking it, he had grown up in a family, in an environment, where the word was used loosely. Although he had given up on the thought that Muggles were inferior to Wizards, he still thought of them as less intelligent creatures. The floor creaked, and he sat down on his bed. He had no friends, except Hermione... it seemed pathetic for the old leader of Slytherin.<p>

How he had become friends with the girl, he didn't know. It had started with him telling her about his parents, something many of his former friends didn't know - something most of his teachers didn't know.

_flashback:_

"Your parents were... Oh, Draco! I didn't know that!"

He grumbled, then shruggled, successfully getting her hand to drop from his shoulder. Who was this girl who thought she could just come up to him and _touch _him? They stopped at the entrance of the library, and Hermione, who had been walking a few steps ahead of him, turned.

"Do you want to read with me?" she asked, looking down bashfully. He knew she didn't speak in innuendo, so he knew she wasn't asking him for any more than she told him. Draco didn't know what force made him do it, but he nodded. Hermione smiled, and opened the door. She pushed it hard enough for him to be able to catch it and walk in. She started immediately to the table where she usually sat and then seemed to remember Draco. Well, Draco made her remember him.

"Do you expect me to sit at the Gryffindor table?" he asked, pointing towards the table where Gryffindors usually sat. Her face fell a bit at his rude question, but then seemed to gather some courage.

"No, but you can't expect me to sit at the Slytherin table" she answered, nodding to where Daphne Greengrass and Pansy Parkinson were sitting. He hoped she didn't see him flinch at the sight of Pansy. In an unspoken agreement, instead of sitting in the middle of the library, where there was a group of tables (four, one for each house) they headed towards another table in a corner. It was rectangular instead of round, and it wasn't painted in any colour to indicate which house it "belonged" to. Hermione plopped her bag on one of the chairs, one facing the rest of the library her back to one wall, and Draco took the one beside her, with his back to the other wall. He left his things there, and pocketed his wand. They headed in different directions to look for books and returned five minutes later. Hermione had a book titled _Dragons and How to Care For Them. _He scoffed, and she turned to him, noticing the book tucked under his arm, the title hidden from view. She didn't ask him what it was, and he didn't tell her.

An hour later, Hermione had taken two pages worth of notes from the first five chapters of the book, and Draco had finished and put his away. When he returned, he cooly notified Hermione that if they didn't hurry, they were going to miss Transfiguration. Her eyes flickered to the clock, and bugged out. She immediately stuffed the book in her bag, gathered her things, and was out of the library in under thirty seconds. Alright, so they were already late. It was no reason for her to ditch him, was it? He smiled a small, tiny smile. Hermione had just displayed a very Slytherin-like quality. She hadn't waited for him, instead choosing to run off to a class taught by a complete and utter idiot of a teacher instead of waiting for him.

He slowly lifted his bag onto his shoulder, and walked out of the library slowly, not wanting to go to Transfiguration. Professor Rawlings was one of the worst teachers he had ever had, second only to Lockhart. Her lectures were boring, she didn't push them hard enough, and she focused on the students having trouble, going over lessons twice to help those dunderheads understand. This was a fairly advanced class, with the best eighth years in it, but focusing on the students who were having trouble meant students like Hermione - like him - were horribly bored.

When he finally arrived, he realized there were no seats other than the one next to Hermione in the second row. He smirked. She sat in the front row for all of her other classes. He thought this was her little rebellious attempt to tell the teacher she was so boring, that the biggest know-it-all in school didn't want to sit close.

Twenty minutes later, the teacher dismissed the class of eight. Hermione noticed that half of the students were rubbing their eyes and yawning, while two of them had to be woken up. The way her schedule went, she had an hour or more between all classes, every day. That meant she usually went to the library and read books about what they would be learning about in her next class. However, today seemed different. For one, Draco was following her. She had begun walking towards the library alone, and Draco had, somewhere along the way, popped up beside her.

She went back to the table where she and Draco had been sitting, and Draco placed his things on what had been her chair. He sat down, and waited for Hermione to complain that he had stolen her chair. Instead, he looked up to see her eyebrow cocked in a challenge. He had never been able to resist a challenge, so he broke the silence - with a whisper, as they _were _in the library.

"What?"

"Get off my chair" she said, her voice struggling to stay annoyed. He could see that she was about to start laughing.

"What if I don't want to?" he answered, in an equally playful tone. He pretended to reach into his bag, as if to grab a textbook. WHen he straightened, he saw her sitting on what had been his chair. What was this? She was supposed to complain and bug him. What was the fun in silence? He turned from her to actually get something, and wasn't at all expecting her to push him off.

"If you don't want to, I'll just have to make you" she said. He stared up at her from his position on the floor. She had surprised him, caught him off gaurd. He grumbled a bit, then chuckled so she would know he wasn't mad. He walked around the table, and sat down.

A few minutes of shaking his leg later, Hermione looked up from her textbook, and asked him "Would you please stop shaking your leg, it is annoying"

He just shrugged, and pretended to stop, only to start up again a few seconds later. It earned him a huff. He stopped. Started. Stopped. Started

"Malfoy!" she whispered, "Stop that right this instant!"

"No"

"No?"

"I want to talk, reading is boring, and watching you read sounds even worse...and creepy"

"Fine, let's talk" she said, slipping her book into her bag so she wouldn't forget it later. That was Hermione, always looking ahead, avoiding what could have been a disaster. Imagine what the teachers would think if she had forgotten her book!

"What do you think of Professor Rawlings?" he asked, truly curious.

"I don't like her." she stated bluntly "she doesn't know the first thing about transfiguration, but McGonagall deems her fit to teach all of the classes"

Draco nodded his agreement

"So, your thoughts on our _lovely_ Professor?" she asked

"I'm not very fond of her, no"

Their conversation changed from their teacher, to the weather, to gossip going around that Lavender was pregnant. Draco could see Hermione swallow hard.

"You haven't heard the rumors?" he asked, perplexed "Wasn't he your boyfriend? Don't girls basically stalk their ex-boyfriends?"

She shook her head "No!" then her shoulders slumped slightly "Do you think it is true?"

He shrugged "I dunno, it's too early to tell, but she has been clinging to Weasley a lot recently..."

Her eyes filled with tears, and Draco felt panicked. If she started crying, he had no idea what to do! Thankfully, Hermione was strong, and she pulled herself together.

"It is my fault we broke up" she breathed, her voice slightly shaky

"What do you mean?" he asked, interested

"I wouldn't...you know..."

"You wanted to wait, but he didn't. I get it." he said

Suddenly, to brighten the mood, he leaned close to her, and she awaited what was sure to be a lovely, inspiring quote about how if Ron had truly wanted her, he would have respected her wishes. Instead, Draco whispered

"So, Hermione... Snape...?"

He watched her cheeks ignite.

"What about Se- our Professor?"

"What is going on between you two?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

"Are you sure?" he poked her arm, and she playfully swatted his hand away. "You two seemed pretty chummy the last time I saw you two together" He almost gagged at the memory "Any chance you could obliviate me?" He asked, hopeful.

She didn't get a chance to answer, because just then, Snape walked up beside Hermione. She didn't notice him until he said "Did I hear my name?" She jumped up, and lifted her wand. "At least not all of your survival training was forgotten" he said.

Draco was confused, what was he talking about?

"Miss Granger here drank some pumpkin juice spiked with amortentia this morning because she didn't make sure it wasn't spiked" Snape explained, addressing Draco. "I thought that with all of her survival training, she would have remembered to check her food and drink, but at least she didn't forget to raise her wand when there is an unknown, possibly dangerous person nearby."

Draco laughed, barely managing to spit out the words "So _that's _why you were ogling Blaise all class!"

Hermione playfully crossed her arms, stood up so she was towering over Draco, and, in her sternest voice, she said

"Mister Malfoy, detention!" she burst into a fit of giggles. Snape and Draco exchanged a glance, and simultaneously shrugged their shoulders. Draco would never understand women.

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><p><strong>AN That seemed like a good place to end the chapter... So, should I continue with that day and their conversation, or just keep going, as you already know they sort of become friends...?**

**Please review!**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**Also, OHMYGOD! have you guys seen JK Rowling's Pottermore announcement? I'm excited!  
><strong>


	13. Part XIII

**A/N Alright, I decided to continue the scene. :)  
><strong>

**Enjoy!**

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><p>He watched Draco and Hermione talking in their little corner of the library, and couldn't help but feel a slight pang of jealousy. What was wrong with him? He had nothing to be jealous of. Actually, he should be grateful that Draco had made a friend (in the loosest way the term could possibly be used) and wouldn't feel the need to follow him around all day. He should feel happy, but instead he simply wanted to shove Draco out of the way, and sit close to this girl.<p>

Why? Why did his stomach do a flip-flop whenever he thought of Hermione? He couldn't believe that in just a few hours, she and Draco had become friends. It was unheard of - a Slytherin and a Gryffindor.

The girl was absolutely stunning! How had he never noticed the way her curls framed her face just so? How her hands accented everything she said, making even the silliest of arguments seem serious and convincing. She would make a great advertiser... He growled - she was a student! It was unacceptable to replay the way her lips had caressed his own in his mind. Oh how heavenly those lips were! Soft, but firm. Her tongue: soft and silky. Her breath: like honey. She smelled good, tasted good. So when he heard his name in their conversation, he knew it was time to butt in.

He managed to startle Hermione, and then he disturbed himself by thinking: '_she's so cute when she's jumpy'_. He, Severus Snape, had just thought the word _cute_! He addressed her in a way that had gotten her to smile, just a bit. It was a private joke, and Severus secretly felt a thrill at being the only one who fully understood the joke. Sure, Draco had been eavesdropping on their conversation from the door, but without knowing explicitly what she had been talking about, Severus was sure Draco hadn't understood. After explaining it to Draco, the boy laughed, and Hermione impersonated a teacher, pretending to give him detention. What the hell?

He caught his godson's eye, trying desperately to convey the message 'never fall in love with someone who is obviously completely crazy'. He didn't know one person (student) who didn't think Hermione was crazy. She took notes like a crazy person, got crazily good marks... She reminded him of himself when he was in school, at least before Voldemort.

Wait, don't fall in love? He was not in love with her... Right? It was a preposterous idea.

He looked at Hermione, who was still giggling. Maybe not preposterous, just... Very... Slightly... Unlikely? Oh, bugger it. He didn't know love, but he did know that this girl would change his life - flip it upside-down, maybe for the better, maybe not.

They sat around discussing the different properties of liquids from the same animal, and the uses in potions for a while. For example, the blood of a Waspern had strengthening powers, but it's tears could melt metal.

All too soon, Draco and Hermione were off to Herbology.

He sighed, already bored. It was nice to have two fresh brains to bounce ideas off of. The three of them made a fairly good team. Except maybe they would be better off if Draco left.

What was this- this, need to have Hermione all alone? Alone with him, of course. He brought her image into his mind's eye. She really was a goddess.

Her beautifully shaped eyes, with those sparkling brown eyes, were captivating. One would expect brown eyes to look boring, but Hermione's were overflowing with knowledge. One look into those eyes and you could see the potential just oozing out. She had the amazing ability to retain everything she read. Not only word for word, but with her own interpretation mixed in as well. It was an ability every teacher wanted. They needed the almost photographic memory to remember names, facts, faces, due dates, homework, test dates, patrolling schedules... It was tough for most, but for the few who were like Hermione (like him), it was a matter of finding enough time in each day.

Her face, it was flawless, even without makeup. Many women that he saw these days in Hogsmeade or around town caked on the makeup. He thought it looked ghastly. Their faces paler than their necks, their penciled-in eyebrows, and perfectly painted lips looked fake, fabricated. Hermione was authentic. What you saw was what you got, and what you got wasn't half bad!

Her long arms and delicate hands were beautiful. Those hands held an amazing power. They were trained by Hermione to write, write, then write some more. Her handwriting rivaled his. The words she created with those hands were beautiful and captivating. Hermione Granger had a way with words. Her essays grabbed onto, and wouldn't let go of your attention. The papers made you think about things in an unconventional way, made you rethink things you have assumed true your whole life. They changed your mind on some issues, and even when they couldn't, they planted that seed of doubt. Her essays made every teacher go, memorize, read and rediscover the topics she wrote about. Everyone was inspired by her writing.

Onto a more shallow note, her toned legs. Her legs were gorgeous. They were long, lean, and golden. It was her normal skin tone, so being in a cloudy, rainy area did not mean she lost her tan. After climbing up and down stairs with a pile of books many times, her thighs and legs were strong, and had he mentioned that they were gorgeous?

Moving back up, he focused on get overall shape. Her robes usually swamped her, but on the occasional warm day, when she took off her robes, her body and curves were well defined. Her shoulders were wide, but not too wide. Her stomach was flat, and her hips flared outwards, giving her an hourglass figure. She was in very good shape. After being on the run, she had lost a bit of weight, but had gained some well toned muscles.

She was beautiful.

He laughed bitterly. What would a beautiful, young witch with her whole life in front of her want with him? If he was her soul mate as Draco said, it didn't matter, she wouldn't want him. He was old. She was not. Why would someone like her want someone like him?

His two best students, Hermione and Draco, woke him up ten minutes later. Goodness, those long hours spent marking assignments were taking their toll on him. Thankfully, the classes he taught were set on a very strict schedule, and he had arranged it so that he would have time in between most classes, and a lot of them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so that the other days he got a bit of a break.

He watched Hermione blush, and realized he had been staring at her for longer than he should have. He looked away, shifting his gaze to Draco, who looked smug.

"I just beat Granger!" he declared "Professor Sprout was giving us our marks on how well we grew our Dedil plants, and I got a better mark than she did!"

Snape looked at Hermione in surprise. Something big must be going on if she hadn't done the best in her class. In times of great stress, or when Hermione's brain was otherwise occupied – such as when she had been trying to figure out information about the Basilisk – her grades suffered a bit. She didn't do horribly, she just never did her best during these times. She just shrugged, pulled out a chair and sat down.

"So, Professor, why were you just sleeping?" she asked him, her eyes begging him for information that he would have found trivial, had he been in her position.

"I'm tired" he replied, as truthfully as he possibly could. Of course, that wasn't enough for Hermione.

"Why?"

"Grading keeps me up until the early hours of the morning, and I wake up only hours later to patrol the halls, get ready for classes, and to eat breakfast."

"Oh."

She walked off and Severus looked at Draco quizzically. Draco just shrugged in silent response to Snape's silent question '_I don't know where she went'_. Their question was answered when Hermione returned a few minutes later, holding a book titled _"Common Spells For the Average Professor"._

"Where did you find this?" he asked, having searched for something like this for a while. He looked over the cover "_Average?_ What do you mean _average!_ I am not the average Professor!"

"Alright, I'll just go put this back then." She said. He looked up at her in surprise, and when he saw the humour in her eyes, he sighed. "I guess that means you don't want me to put this back?"

He shook his head, and held his hand out. When she didn't immediately hand it to him, he looked up at her again. She leaned in close.

"If you want it, you'll have to ask me nicely." She breathed.

He almost laughed. Was she asking him to be nice? To a Gryffindor? A student?

"That's a good joke, now hand it to me!" he said, and then, upon seeing the serious look on her face "Oh come on! I don't _do_ nice!"

She shook the book in front of his face "Well then, I guess you don't want this"

"Fine! Miss Granger-"

"Hermione"

"Hermione," he started, through gritted teeth "Would you please give me the book?"

She giggled, and gave it to him.

Draco looked like he was in shock "Sev, did you just...ask her to...nicely?"

Hermione turned to him. "You, mister will not try to sabotage my attempts to turn him into a nice person!" she scolded.

"Nice person? Severus, a nice person? Sev, she's evil! Evil i tell you!" he turned back to Hermione "Please, please don't do that to me!" he was almost shaking.

"Alright" she conceded, and Snape immediately protested

"Why did you listen to him and not me?" he asked angrily.

Hermione simply shrugged "I feel like it"

"You...you..._feel like it?_" Snape was shocked. No student had ever answered him like that.

"Yes. Now turn around and read your book. You have a five minute time out for yelling at me"

He was shell-shocked. Who was this girl who thought she could boss him around. Well, he did deserve it. Against everything he had learned in his numerous years of teaching, he listened to Hermione and turned around. He missed the look of dismay on Draco's face.

They spent the next half hour reading.

After their next class - Snape had to teach, Draco and Hermione went to Muggle Studies - they all met up in the library again.

"Hermione, Draco?" Snape asked, the habit of calling the two students by their first names already growing on him.

"Yes?" they asked simultaneously.

"How many assignments do you two have due tomorrow?"

"Two," Draco admitted "but the day's not over yet. The two that we have are really easy, though"

"Why?" Hermione asked

"I was hoping that you didn't so that we could go to the Manor tomorrow and go through some more things. Tomorrow is good for me because nothing is due today in any of my classes, so I will not have anything to mark."

They nodded, agreeing.

They spent the rest of the day joking around, as Hermione had with Severus earlier that day, and telling jokes. It was well past midnight, and Snape was sitting in his rooms, with a smile on his face.

Oh yes, that girl would most definitely change his life. He already felt a fondness for her, and the irrational need to protect her. Was the feeling mutual, or was it just him? He hoped for the former. He wouldn't mind for Hermione's to be thinking about him as he was thinking about her. One thing was bugging him. What had made her Herbology mark lower than Draco's. What was bothering her so much? If it was those two meat heads that she had befriended in her first year, he would personally go and mess their faces up. She was a lovely girl, who could want to hurt her. _You did,_ a little voice whispered, _just a few days ago you wished she would forget everything she knew so that Draco could be at the top of his classes._ He shrugged the voice off, irritated. So what, he had been in a bad mood. He had never wanted her to get hurt or killed, but he did have to admit that in a situation where either a Slytherin would die or Hermione would die, just a few short days ago he would have chosen the Slytherin. Now, he wasn't so sure.

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><p><strong>AN Huh, I have nothing to say... that's a first!**

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**Hope you liked this chapter!**


	14. Part XIV

It was the end of Hermione, Draco, and Severus' last class before any of them were fully aware of it. The day had passed quickly more quickly than other days did, it seemed. Everyone was excited about the weekend. However, Draco was dreading going back to the place where many of his nightmares took place - Malfoy Manor, where he had agreed to go with Severus and Hermione yesterday. Hermione felt similar feelings, having experienced some pretty horrible things in Draco's childhood home herself, although she was almost excited to go there again. She was the type of person who craved information. She wanted to explore Malfoy Manor, take notes on all of the architectural details, the furniture, the books, the objects, the paintings, everything. She was curious. Severus was looking forward to spending a few hours in close proximity to Hermione, even if it would be with Draco, and then felt a bit annoyed. Why was he thinking of her so much?

He had spent the whole day distracted, his traitorous mind floating off to think of the beautiful witch. He was absolutely sure his students had noticed his brain's absence, and, if he could bring himself to think about them, and not Hermione, for a few seconds, he would have realized that today, his students had talked to each other in class and completely ignored his lessons. He might also realize that throughout the day, an almost-smile had played with the corners of his lips. Another thing he might notice was the fact that his students were wondering if something was seriously wrong with their professor. However, he couldn't stop thinking about Hermione long enough to realize any of that.

Presently, he was sitting in his room, waiting for Draco and Hermione to appear at his door. He wanted to leave_ now!_

He heard a small, timid knock at his door, and then a second, stronger one. He lifted his wards, and let Hermione in. He knew it was her, he was sure. As usual, he was right, and Hermione stepped in, giving him a nod as a greeting. He stood up from where he had been sitting - his favourite chair - and walked over to her. He was acting in a way he never would naturally, and Hermione was puzzled.

"Hello Hermione" he greeted "Draco isn't here yet. Would you like some tea...?" his palms were sweaty, and his throat went dry. What was this? He had asked her a perfectly normal question! Why did he feel so anxious? Thankfully, Hermione didn't pick up on it, and instead answered his question.

She shook her head "It's alright, I'm not really thirsty"

He motioned towards the couch, inviting her to sit, and she sat down. He followed suit, and sat across from her, in the green chair that he loved.

"Severus" she began, playing with the bracelet on her wrist "we need to find out more about this" she pointed to the bracelet around her wrist.

"How?" he answered. He had thought the same thing for a while, and had always come to the same conclusion "It seems to be a family legend - story, and if Draco doesn't know any more about it, there isn't anyone in the family alive who would know about it."

She looked sad "I know."

His eyes widened a bit in surprise. Hermione Granger, just giving up?

But then a bit of her intelligence kicked in "Perhaps we could ask a portrait? You may be right in the fact that Draco is the only one _alive_ who would know about it, but wouldn't the portraits of other Malfoys know it too, maybe more?"

"It may be possible, but you wouldn't be considered worthy of an answer if you asked them, I am not going to ask about a family story that I shouldn't know, and Draco, well, if we convince him to ask them, maybe they'll listen. Maybe."

Her face became sad again.

Her eyes flickered up to meet his, and she could see his internal struggle, although she, not being a Leglimens, didn't know what about. He was actually debating whether or not to try and comfort her, she looked so defeated. Why was she so worried over this bracelet... Alright, so it was a random spell that was supposed to help the wearer find true love. That seemed shady in itself. But if Merlin himself had made it... but it had broken... It was a big enough thing for her to be worried about. Hell, _he_ was worried. Instead of comforting her, which he was sure would have looked odd (he didn't have a comforting bone in his body) he settled on switching topics abruptly, hoping she wouldn't question it.

"When do you think Draco will get here?" he asked, mentally kicking himself. How would she know when Draco would get here? "It is getting late, and you two have school, I have classes to teach tomorrow..."

She laughed and shook her head "It's Saturday tomorrow Prof- Severus"

His mouth opened, closed, and opened again, mouthing the word '_oh'_. Whoops! She was still giggling, and her laugh was contagious. He started laughing as well, and she immediately stopped laughing, and looked at him, disbelief written in her eyes.

"Are you..._laughing?_ You?"

He looked affronted, and then seemed to realize that he, yes _he_, had just been laughing. That set him off again. It felt so good to laugh, so free. She stared at him in amazement, and then laughed herself. They were practically rolling on the floor by the time Draco stepped in, the wards on the room automatically recognizing him.

"-sorry I'm lat- Severus?" Draco looked at them, and his expression caused another wave of laughter to break over them. He was shocked. Then he began laughing too. Snape's serious face looked like it was in pain from all of the smiling and laughing.

Ten, maybe fifteen minutes later, they were finally all set to go. They couldn't look at each other in fear of more laughing. Snape's side still hurt, and Hermione was still breathing heavily. Draco was still flushed. They were all glad that they had finally stopped laughing. Sure it was fun, sure it was a way to relax, but after a bit, it hurt!

Snape informed them that McGonagall had given them permission to leave, and they walked off of school grounds in silence. When they were finally out of range of the anti-apparition spell, Snape held his arm out for Hermione to grab. Draco dissapeared with a _'pop'_ and Hermione grabbed onto Severus' arm. They followed Draco, and soon appeared at Malfoy Manor. Hermione, disoriented from the side-along apparition, stumbled a bit, but was caught by Severus' two strong arms. Draco had already started walking to the Manor, walking up the winding pathway to the door. They followed closely behind him. They walked in silence, and Draco led them to a room that was piled high with Lucius' things. It wasn't the one they had been in last time They sat down, much like before, and got started. Hermione sat in the middle, but this time Severus sat closer to her. She didn't notice. This room had much more things in it than the other one, but those had all been powerful, and many of these had very little magical power. Hermione wondered what reasons Lucius could have had to justify having some of these things.

"I'm going to the washroom" Draco announced

"Do you have to shout it from the rooftops, Malf-Draco? Just go!" Hermione joked. He left, turning a few corners to find the nearest bathroom.

Severus looked over at Hermione, he felt the need to thank her "Thanks Hermione" he began, and then continued "I don't think I have ever laughed that hard..._ever._ I just wanted to thank you for that."

Both of them felt their bracelets - or tattoo of a bracelet - heat up. Not uncomfortably so, but enough to be noticeable.

"What do you think it wants?" Hermione asked, ignoring his thanks for the moment, certain there was a logical reason for it to be heating up. It couldn't just be random.

"I honestly don't know" he replied, rubbing the tattoo. It was slowly getting hotter and hotter.

Hermione stepped closer to him, and put a hand on the tattoo, wanting to make sure he was alright, and not burnt. The moment her fingertips touched his forearm, the pain receded, and he sighed in relief. He looked into her eyes, and she looked puzzled. Then, she slowly, deliberately, reached up and traced his lips. His breath came heavier now. He was curious as to what she was doing.

"No," she whispered "don't scowl like that, smile."

But he was Severus Snape, and most certainly did _not_ do smiling, so he smirked at her.

"That will have to do" she said. Her hand went back to tangle itself with his hair, and she pulled him down. His lips were barely a centimetre away from hers, and he could feel her soft breath on them. He tilted his head towards her, but didn't press forward, she would have to do that. Hermione surprised herself by realizing she was happy to oblige.

Their lips met, and for a second, there was bliss. However, Draco chose just that moment to walk in.

"Oh, not again! I leave you two alone for a second and find you like this. Eugh!"

Hermione blushed a bright scarlet colour, and Snape looked decidedly uncomfortable.

The rest of the night was spent in relative silence, aside from Draco occasionally complaining that his eyes and brain were now scarred for life, that he would never recover from this, blah, blah, blah. Hermione wasn't really listening, choosing instead to keep her eyes on Severus. She didn't know him at all, but she somehow felt like they had a connection, like she needed more than a teacher-student, or friendly relationship with him. She wanted more, but wasn't sure _what_ exactly was more.

Severus was ignoring Draco. Why had Hermione done that? He couldn't believe he had just let a student kiss him, had _wanted_ a student to kiss him. He had given in easily, not arguing, or worrying. He had just wanted to feel those lips on his again, taste her, kiss her, make her as flustered as she made him. If his feelings hadn't been obvious before, they were now. Wait, what feelings? What feelings did he truly have for her? Was it merely a physical attraction, or was there more? He didn't want to answer that truthfully.

Draco was aware that no one was listening to him, so he shut up. He observed the two people in front of him. He could see that there was something there, between them, that neither of them seemed ready to admit, or even acknowledge. It was something big, and he could only wish that he would one day find the person that made him feel like he was absolutely certain they felt. Reckless, stupid, but ultimately, happy. It was a big thing to wish for, and he had, long ago, not believed in the powers of love, but now, in this moment, he wanted to feel whole, happy. He wanted to meet the girl of his dreams, the one who would bring him nothing but happiness, the one he would go to the end of the world for.

They finished that room, and another smaller one before midnight, and then they apparated back to Hogwarts. They parted with goodbyes, and made their way to their respective rooms.

Hermione fell asleep quickly.

Draco fell asleep quickly.

Severus, he tossed and turned, running his fingers over his lips, trying to imagine her, lying there, with him, doing that. He imagined her kissing him. He yearned for her touch. How? How had she managed to worm her way into his thoughts, into his heart like this. It was not fair that she could do this, that she held so much power over him. That mere _memories_ of her could keep him up half the night. It just wasn't fair.

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><p><strong>AN Review please!**


	15. Part XV

**A/N Thank you for all of the reviews! I think it reached 30 or 31 now. Thanks! This chapter takes place a few weeks-a month after the last chapter, just to let you know... :D**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Severus was obsessed. He would think about her wherever he went. He tried to keep his facial expressions neutral, but the students all knew something was off. Their Professor - the one they used to call evil - didn't give them insane amounts of work, or take away unnecessary house points anymore. They could see that he didn't sneer anymore, he kept his face expressionless. To them, that meant he was one - maybe two - rungs higher on the emotion ladder. He wasn't quite at peaceful or content, but very close to it.; in any case, it was far cry from his usual dark mood. They could only wonder what had changed. Many had theories - some closer to the truth than others - but he wouldn't acknowledge, confirm, or deny any of them. Some students wondered if he even noticed them whispering about him, the rumors. He was oblivious to it all, thinking they didn't think anything had changed. His mind was too fixated on Hermione to give his other students a second thought.<p>

Hermione was also oblivious to the rumors flying around about the change in their least liked Professor. She was concentrating on keeping her marks high, and her mind was set on getting a job here at Hogwarts. She had even booked an appointment to talk about it with Professor McGonagall sometime in was still coming to detentions, but he couldn't bear being in the same room as her without doing anything, so he sent her to do things like organize the potions or catalog the ingredients in the storage closet.

Draco noticed and heard everything. He was watching them closely, and he had the sneaking suspicion that Hermione was the reason for Severus' brighter mood. Draco had the feeling that Snape felt a lot more for Hermione than he cared to admit, even to himself. Draco also thought Snape felt more for Hermione than she did for him. It had been two weeks since the visit to Malfoy Manor with Hermione. He and Severus had gone twice more, but Hermione always claimed she was busy, and rushed off to the library. Draco had thought that maybe she was meeting with someone in secret, but after following her a few times, and found no evidence, he was finally convinced she was crazy. Who sat in the library during all breaks, free periods, free days, and then stayed until they fell asleep? Apparently Hermione did.

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><p>Hermione rubbed her wrist again. The bracelet had been bothering her for a while, but she had to focus on school things. She had rejected Severus and Draco's invitations to Malfoy Manor twice, but had given in and they were planning to go today. NEWTS were fast approaching, so she was now attempting to do all the work she usually did, in half the time. She had to be ready. She was currently sitting in what was considered "Hermione's spot" by the whole school, and was re-reading her Herbology textbook. As she turned the last page, a familiar voice called out to her, quietly (they <em>were<em> in the library after all).

"Hermione!"

Her head turned to stare at Ginny quizzically, and disbelieving. She hadn't spoken to the girl since early on in the year. What could she want?

"I'm sorry Hermione! I'm so sorry. I can't believe that... Harry and Ron... they're gits..." Ginny burst into tears, and Hermione stared at her. Hermione, for once in her life, didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to comfort Ginny, talk to her?

"What happened Ginny? It's alright, calm down!" she whispered soothingly.

It took Ginny a few moments, but she pulled herself together, and pulled Hermione into a hug.

"Alright, I'll start from the beginning. Back at the beginning of the year. Do you remember the fight you, Harry, and Ron had? What am I asking, of course you do. Anyways, they've been acting funny since then, sort of robotic... Well, that's not my point. What I wanted to say was that is when it started."

"When what started?" asked a very confused Hermione

"The insults. Harry and Ron were so horrible! They called you names... once, Ron," Ginny cringed "and I'm going to kill him for it if it's the last thing I do, called you a...mudblood." Ginny rushed on, wanting to finish this horrible story "And, and today, Harry and Ron were walking to the Great Hall, all robotic-like, staring ahead, blank stares. Nothing I did would snap them out of it. I even kissed Harry... Well, they overheard someone commenting that they wished they had the grades you do, and it set them off. They beat up the kid, telling him - poor little first year - not to speak your name, that it is dirty, and walked away. They are monsters! I don't know what's happened. I needed to talk to you, to apologize."

Hermione snapped out of her little trance at those words.

"And just where have you been for the past two months? I was _alone_. I had no one to talk to, no shoulder to cry on about the loss of three" she glared at Ginny "of my best friends, my _only _friends."

Ginny looked ashamed "I've been meaning to talk to you-"

"Then why haven't you?"

"Let me finish. At first, I thought you three would kiss and make up in a week, two tops. It dragged on. When Harry and Ron became nastier and nastier, I wanted to block it, ignore it. If I didn't hear it, it wasn't happening, right? And then, the worst thing... not that you're predicament isn't bad, Harry... he hit me yesterday! I don't know who to go to!" She saw the murderous expression on Hermione's face "It wasn't a hard slap, but it snapped me out of it, and I realized that I _do _owe you an apology. I just hope you forgive me. I don't know what to do!" Ginny was crying again.

Hermione was shocked. The Harry she knew would never lay his hands on a girl, let alone Ginny, the girl she knew for a fact he had loved. Maybe that was it, she _didn't_ know him half as well as she thought she did. Besides, the Harry she thought she knew wouldn't stand for Ron saying _'mudblood'.  
><em>

"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione suddenly felt bad for yelling at Ginny. The girl kept sobbing. Soon enough, Ginny was done crying, and just lay there, limp, in Hermione's arms. "Ginny, I'm sorry."

"What should I do, Hermione? What's happened to them?" she finally whispered, her voice hoarse from the crying.

"Huh? Oh, tell a teacher. Wait, Ginny, what was that you said, about Harry and Ron's movements looking robotic?"

"Why does it matter? Yes, they have been like that for a while now, no real communication outside of pleasantries, and it seemed out of place. Wrong, somehow."

"Ginny," Hermione started, a line forming in between her eyebrows " the Imperius Curse"

Ginny looked confused for a moment "Oh my god! You're right, they _have _been acting like... how could I have not seen it? Hermione?"

"If they are under the Imperius Curse, then someone is casting it."

"Who would benefit from a falling out between you, Harry, and Ron?"

"I dunno, who wants revenge on either of them?" Hermione asked

"Er, everyone in Slytherin?"

"Not everyone" answered Hermione automatically, and then mentally kicked herself for saying that

"What do you mean _'not everyone'_?"

"Malfoy and Sev-Snape don't"

"Are you kidding me? They are my top suspects. Both of them have been out to get Harry since first year. How would you know this anyway?"

Hermione avoided the question "This isn't the Slytherin thing to do, they would want to make it obvious to the person being "attacked" and make the person scared...no, whoever this is, it's no Slytherin."

Unfortunately for Hermione, Ginny wrote herself a mental note to ask Hermione about her weird slip-up when saying Snape's name later.

"Then who?"

"It scares me that I haven't the faintest."

There was a lull in their conversation, a pause. However, it was soon filled with a voice, one that wasn't Hermione or Ginny.

"Hermione!" "Hermione!" Scratch that, there were two voices.

They appeared, Severus and Draco, at the opposite end of the row of books. Ginny was blocked from their view by the tall bookshelves.

"Are you ready to go?" Severus asked. His voice betrayed the excitement he had over going to Malfoy Manor with Hermione, who had finally agreed. Draco rolled his eyes. Why did his godfather have to be so...obvious?

As the two stepped closer, they finally saw the red-headed girl sitting beside Hermione.

"Hermione...?" Ginny asked.

"Please Ginny, don't make this into something it's not. If you want us to be friends, please be patient and I'll explain it all later tonight, my dorm, two a.m?" she phrased it as a question, and Ginny nodded, smiling a bit. However, Ginny wasn't really watching where she was going, her eyes still trained on Hermione, and ended up bumping into Draco. Instead of the rude, derogatory comment she had been sure she would hear - something including the words _'blood-traitor'_, he surprised her.

"Whoops, sorry Weasley." was all he said. He gently placed his hand on her arm and walked around her, towards Hermione.

For the rest of the night, Ginny couldn't stop thinking about those big, warm hands. He had been... nice! Had Ron and Harry been lying about Draco being evil? After the events of the past weeks, she was ready to believe that everything that came out of their mouths was a lie. Her face felt hot, and she needed air. Why was Draco's face still the focus of her attention? She couldn't stop replaying those few seconds over and over in her head. She opened the windows and got settled in Hermione's bed with some homework out, wanting to make the most of the next few hours she had until Hermione came back.

She couldn't concentrate, however, because she needed to find out more about the Imperius Curse. She opened her DADA textbook and read the chapter.

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><p>"Why was Miss Weasley there? Severus asked, curious.<p>

"She apologized, we made up... nothing special" she answered.

Hermione was still looking at Draco, and Snape followed her gaze. Draco was staring at the spot where Ginny had been standing moments ago. His face was pinkish, and he seemed to be breathing heavily. When he noticed their stares, he shrugged.

"She smells good" he mumbled to the floor.

Hermione grinned "ooh, Draco's got a crush!" she half-whispered, half-sang.

He looked at her, and she didn't see the ice that she had seen in Lucius' eyes some time ago, that ice had thawed in Draco, and in it's place was hope.

She looked at Severus, and couldn't help the little blush that coloured her cheeks. She had thrown herself into work because this was wrong. This... attraction, it was wrong. She didn't know - didn't _want_ to know what he thought of her, and imagined that he thought she was a silly little girl. Little did she know that Severus was thinking something like that. He knew it was wrong, that this could cost him his whole career, but he couldn't deny that there was something there, a spark, of something...unknown, something dangerous. That something was very tempting. He wanted a sample of it, but didn't trust himself for one moment. The heat in their bracelets brought them back into reality, and Hermione reached forward to place her fingertips on his tattoo, like she had before. It was the only way they had found to make the pain go away... besides kissing. His breath hitched when her cool fingertips found his warm, overly warm skin. They made the pain go away, but when it was gone, Severus realized that he didn't want Hermione to move her hand. He wanted her there, maybe a few steps closer. He wanted her to kiss all the pain away, but knew it was a silly fantasy. Hermione stepped forward, and slid her hand down until it was in his hand. He gave it a squeeze, and then Draco's cough brought them back to reality. Severus pulled his hand back, as if she had burned it, and barely stifled her sigh of regret. How lovely it would be to walk around all day like that, her hand in Severus'... No, he was a Professor. This was just a... crush. All crushes came to an end, she just needed to wait for that.

She just couldn't shake the thought _'I don't want it to end'._

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><p>No, no, no! The She-Weasel wasn't supposed to make up with Granger! She knew that she couldn't handle doing three Imperius Curses at the same time, she had to uphold her image to the teachers, and all of the students, it wouldn't do to be tired.<p>

She had to hurry up and get Ronald to ditch Lavender, and she would have him all to herself.

This plan would be much simpler if she just placed the Imperio on Ron and made him love her, but this game was much more fun. In the end, if he drank a love potion, his love would seem more realistic than if under the Imperius curse. It would make the experience _that_ much better.

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><p><strong>AN Hope you liked it! What do you think about Hermione and Ginny making up?  
><strong>

**Please Review!**_  
><em>


	16. Part XVI

They went through the usual routine: find a room to clean, make piles, go through them.

This "sorting" thing was taking longer than Severus had estimated. Lucius had owned a lot of useless junk when he was alive! Severus hoped that a few weeks from now it would finally be clear of all dark or cursed objects, and they would be able to get on with the cleaning, and ultimately, selling of the house. Even though Hermione hadn't gone the last two times, Severus felt like this was how it was supposed to be, with her there. Hermione felt calm, safe even here. It was absurd to feel so secure in a place she had been tortured, but with Severus around, there was no way she could feel unprotected. He was an amazing dueler, and was probably the best wizard in Europe now that both Voldemort and Dumbledore were dead. If he felt half of the irrational need to protect as she did, she was certain that she was safe. And Draco, well, she didn't think he had it in him to torture her... or anyone, really.. She considered him a friend, and, if the way he protected Severus was any indication - if he considered her a friend, of course - he would also do whatever was necessary to protect her, should the need arise.

Draco was quiet, not having uttered a word since they arrived. Both Hermione and Severus yearned to know what was going through his head, but they both knew it wouldn't work if they asked him point-blank. His cheeks were still slightly flushed, and he kept sniffing the air, as if trying to smell something that wasn't there anymore. Something clicked in Hermione's head: Ginny's perfume!

An hour or so later, Draco announced that he was going to go find something to eat. Snape knew he wanted time alone, and didn't argue. He shot Hermione a look that would tell her not to say anything either, just to leave Draco alone.

He was surprised to find her eyes were staring right back at him, and he could feel his heart speed up. Draco walked out, and Severus all but tackled Hermione. He didn't know where the impulse had come from, but he pulled her towards him at the last second, and just let her stay in his arms. He had never been a "huggy" person, but standing like this felt so right. She fit perfectly in his arms, like a small, delicate doll. He felt the need to protect her, and thought that in his arms was a very safe place for her to be.

After the shock wore off, Hermione felt herself melt into his arms. They were strong and they held her up with ease. She didn't know why, but her heart was pounding, and she could hear her pulse in her ears. Her head was resting against his chest, and she could hear his heart as well. The sound calmed her; the steady _boom ba-boom _sound was very soothing. She suddenly realized just how tired she was; all the studying and reading was tiring her out. Severus must have realized this, because he scooped her into his arms, and set her down in a chair. She protested when he pulled away, so he picked her up again, sat down, and pulled her into his lap.

She curled up onto his chest, and a few minutes later, was fast asleep. Her breathing evened out, and Severus smiled slightly as her breath tickled his chin. Severus could see the purple marks under her eyes. She was overworking herself. She had been ready for her NEWTS since fifth year, so he didn't understand why she wanted to read, re-read, and then re-re-read her textbooks and notes.

Her hair was spread out in a way that framed her face perfectly. Her face, now, in sleep, looked peaceful and... beautiful; although he thought her face was even more beautiful when her intelligent eyes were open. He couldn't deny this any longer, he was attracted to her. Looking at her face, he couldn't help but stare at her full, pink lips and imagine what would happen if he were to lean down, press his lips against hers, and kiss her... He sighed. No, she would just end up leaving him, like Lily did. There was no reason to tell her of his feelings when, after this school year was over, he probably wouldn't see her again, except perhaps in newspapers. Even with the slight - very, very slight, in his opinion - chance that she felt the same strong feelings he did, she would get sick of him after a few days, and leave. No, he could not make himself vulnerable to that type of pain. He knew that he felt strongly for her, and if she didn't return those feelings, it would hurt... a lot.

Besides, why would she want someone who was so old, greasy, and mean, when she could have a perfectly respectable boy her own age?

Hermione's eyes opened a few minutes later, and she saw that his eyes were focused on the ceiling, deep in thought. She leaned up slowly, so he wouldn't notice, and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. He snapped back to the present, and tightened his grip on her. If he had to let her live her life, - a life without him- he wanted to soak in the feel of her in his arms before it was taken away from him. He was selfish like that.

"Severus," she began, and he mentally shivered at the sound of his name falling from the lips of this angel "what are they?"

He was confused "What do you mean?" he asked.

"What are these feelings? Please don't tell me that I'm imagining them, I know you feel them too."

So she did feel something. He didn't exactly know how he felt about that. "I don't know... Hermione"

Hermione inhaled slightly at the use of her first name. She was lying on him, and he was using her first name... it made it feel more intimate; she was surprised to realize that she didn't feel repulsed at that. In fact, she rather liked the idea.

"I... The feelings are strong, stronger than anything I have ever felt with Ron..." she said. Wow, this girl was braver than he had thought, putting her feelings on the line like that. What a Gryffindor. He could take those feelings and stomp on them if he so desired, but he didn't. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but years of bottling up his feelings stopped him.

"I meant, I don't know what you're going on about." He stumbled on his words, having to pull courage from thin air to keep going. He felt horrible for lying like this, but it would help them - him - in the long run... right? He was such a horrible man, thinking only of himself.

She pulled away and jumped to her feet with ease, even though her face betrayed her embarrassment and anger. Why was he lying? She knew he felt something - why else would he have held her like that? Maybe the question wasn't 'why is he lying', but 'who does he think he is tricking?', she thought.

Severus watched many emotions flicker across her face, and then she spoke, her voice a bit shaky. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Must have been the bracelet talking." she lied (although Severus didn't know that), and it was like she had just kicked him in the stomach. He had never even thought of the possibility that she might not really feel anything after she said what she had said. And the bracelet influencing their thoughts and actions... it was plausible. He had just never considered that a possibility. It hurt a bit that he really felt something, and that she the feelings on her side were fabricated by a piece of metal. It also hurt that she had thought of the whole 'bracelet can control feelings' thing before he had; he was supposed to be the professor!

She turned away from him, and sat down, attempting to finish her pile of _stuff_ through tears. She was determined not to let him see them. He thought that she had turned away and that her shoulders were shaking because of laughter, and felt himself flush. Why would she do such a thing? Trick him into feeling and then stomping on those same feelings. He could never do that to her, so it cut deeply to realize that she could do that to him. Maybe she wasn't as good as he had thought, as the whole world thought.

Draco returned soon after. He took in Hermione and Severus working silently. He didn't notice the dried tears on Hermione's face or the pain in Severus' eyes.

"Guys," he said softly "It's past midnight, we need to get back to Hogwarts."

Hermione was surprised that he didn't make fun of her for crying, but didn't want to ruin the moment by complaining.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was sneaking down the halls, not wanting to be caught out past curfew, and made her way to her room.

She almost had a heart attack when she saw someone in her bed, but calmed down when she remembered that Ginny was supposed to be here. She took a deep breath, and gathered the courage it would need to tell the whole story to Ginny. They needed to catch up. Hermione also wanted to ask Ginny how to make up with her house mates, for she didn't want to leave school with no friends at all. She wanted to get over her crush on Severus. _'It is just a crush!_' she reminded herself. He didn't come and comfort her like she sort of thought he would, and it made her think that her "lie" about the bracelet making her think, say, or do things wasn't a lie. Maybe he had been controlled by the bracelet. Maybe that was how the person who found the charm got hurt... It all made sense now. She _wasn't _special, her heart was being stabbed and hurt... by a piece of metal, no less!

She couldn't believe that she was, at the moment, more hurt by the image of Snape cuddling with, kissing, and waking up next to another woman, than by the realization that the bracelet might or might not be controlling her.

She needed to talk to Ginny _now_.

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><p><strong>AN This chapter was originally _much_ different, but DZMom gave me a really helpful review! (wink, wink, nudge, nudge - I like reviews like that...)**

**Thank you to everyone else who reviewed, I really appreciate it!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!  
><strong>


	17. Part XVII

"Hey Gin," Hermione whispered. She opened her mouth, as if to continue, but Ginny cut her off.

"Hermine Jean Granger, you had better tell me _now_ what's going on with you!"

Hermione cracked a smile at Ginny's enthusiasm. "Alright, let me start from the beginning..."

Hermione cast a _muffliato_ spell around her bed, and told Ginny all about her argument with Ron and Harry, the comment Snape had thrown at her in the Great Hall, the charm bracelet, the visits to Malfoy Manor - everything. Even what had happened tonight. Ginny listened, her eyes contemplating everything Hermione said, nodding occasionally to let Hermione know she was still listening.

"Hermione," Ginny began, once Hermione finished with her story "I'm... Alright, let me get this straight. You, professor Snape, and Malfoy are friends, you and Snape are... attracted to each other, but you think his feelings are fake and are being caused by a bracelet?"

Hermione nodded.

"Wow. Well, first off, congratulations for finally noticing someone of the opposite gender other than my idiot of a brother... But Snape, really?" Ginny took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts. Hermione watched her, not sure what to expect after this. "well, alright. Let me know if anything else happens, and know that I won't tell anyone else... Now, on to other subjects, Harry and Ron?"

Hermione shook her head a bit, both out if disbelief that Ginny had accepted everything, and to answer her question. "I honestly don't know Ginny. Do you think it'd do any good if we told McGonagall anything?"

"Maybe. I think we should wait and try to find solid proof. Who knows, maybe in a few days, this will all finally blow over" Hermione didn't miss the hopeful tone in Ginny's voice.

"Alright" agreed Hermione "go back to your dormitory, Ginny, we have classes tomorrow, and it's past three!"

"Goodnight, Hermione" Ginny smiled at Hermione, embraced her, and left. Hermione was so tired, that she didn't bother with pajamas, and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

The next morning, Hermione woke up late, most likely due to staying up so late with Ginny. She was rushing down the stairs, when she heard the voice if her ex-boyfriend.

"I love you,"

Her heart skipped a beat

"Professor Rawlings." he finished.

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><p>She woke up in a great mood. Today was the day that Ron was going to fall in love with her - well, as close to love as 'Imperio' and a love potion could get, anyway. She stood at the entrance to the boy's dormitories, and waited for Ron to come out.<p>

"Potter, I need to speak to Weasley" she said to Harry, who turned away immediately, the _Imperio_ taking control of his actions. She turned back to Ron, who was staring at her blankly.

"Give me what I am to drink." he said monotonously, reaching his hand out, palm facing up. She grinned, this was so easy, why had she bothered with te timed one? She placed the vial in his hand, made him drink the potion, and left getting rid if the _Imperius_

. She had wanted the potion to take effect during Transfiguration, the one class she had with him bur what did it matter? She rushed out of the Gryffindor Common Room quickly, but not before she heard

"I love you Professor Rawlings!"

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><p>The thoughts <em>'Wow, he got over me and Lavender quite quickly, didn't he?' <em>and _'How can he fancy a Professor? It's wrong!'_ were the first to go through her head. Alright, the second thought made her a bit of a hypocrite. Although she didn't believe she loved Severus - or ever would - she did harbor a _bit_ of a crush on him. The part of her that hated Ron for flaunting Lavender around and ignoring her tried to convince her that a crush and declaring your love for a Professor are two completely different things, but the rational part told her _no_, _it is_ the same.__

She wouldn't admit to herself just how much the fact that it seemed that Ron had gotten over her hurt. She didn't know why exactly it hurt, but it didn't matter. She needed a hug, some comfort, NOW.

She rushed off so quickly that she didn't notice Ron weakly whisper "Hermione, help me" and then collapse on the carpet in the Gryffindor common room.

Without her knowledge, her legs took her down to Severus' private rooms. Everyone was currently in the Great Hall, so no one was there to ask her just what he was doing. The wards recognized her, and let her in. She began pounding on the door. When the door didn't open, she realized that he was probably in his classroom, getting ready for his first classes of the day. She felt so stupid!

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><p>Severus grumbled under his breath. Pomona hadn't even apologized for spilling her pumpkin juice on his robes. It meant he had to go down to his rooms, and it would make him late for his first class. What was the alternative though? Walk around in stinky, dirty robes? Not a chance! He sighed again.<p>

The moment he turned the corner to his rooms, he noticed Hermione pounding on his door.

"Her-Miss Granger! Just what do you think you're doing?" he asked, worried - had she gone insane? She was knocking on the door like a madwoman!

She spun on her heel, startled by his voice. She took a few breaths, then asked "Can we talk for a minute, privately?"

"Of course, step in." he opened his door with a flick of his wand, and she went to sit on his couch.

Was she here to see him? The thought made his heart beat speed up, and he hoped that he wasn't giving himself away.

"I have to tell you. I think that your feelings... whatever your feelings for me are, are being created by the bracelet. That is what Draco meant by 'it will hurt the person who finds the charm...'. I think your bracelet made you act in a way that made me... fallforyou and then you will find your soul mate and it will crush me."

Severus looked puzzled "You believe that my bracelet is altering my feelings for you? On the contrary, I strongly believe that it is changing your feelings for me. You see, the bracelets are old, if Draco's story is accurate, there might be a problem with the magic, which reverses the effects. In other words, it doesn't hurt you - the one holding the charm, but me - the one who found the bracelet."

Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. "Do you believe that your feelings for me are your own, not fabricated by some piece of metal?" she asked.

He nodded slowly, looking at her all the time. "Do you?" he asked.

She nodded this time.

"Then it seems we have a problem" he said "either with the story, or one of us is wrong about the effects of the bracelet."

"I'm not wrong" Hermione announced, telling the truth. She honestly didn't believe that her feelings were not hers.

"Neither am I." said Severus, just as stubbornly. "Which means we have to speak to Draco about this. Perhaps all we need is a third opinion."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"So what was that you said, about your feelings for me?" he asked, voice shaking. He watched as a brilliant red blush spread up her neck.

"N-nothing" she whispered.

"Alright"

"I said that I think I may be falling f-for you." she said, voice barely a whisper. He heard her all the same. What a brave Gryffindor. _His_ Gryffindor. Her chocolate brown eyes stared into his, and he felt all of his defenses crumble.

'I think I am too, Hermione. However, I am your Professor, nothing can happen." it hurt him to say those words, and it hurt her to hear them. They both knew it was the truth.

"What about when I'm a Professor as well?"

He looked at her "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged. "Nothing... I just might be teaching here next year!"

He gave a whoop in his head. "If you _do_ become a Professor, Hermione, then we shall see about this... this..."

"Relationship?" she asked.

He nodded, and she felt her heart take a leap in her chest.

"Until then, we must find out more about these bracelets." he said.

"I know" she answered. She stood up, and brushed invisible crumbs off of her robes "Now, I must be off. It wouldn't do for Hermione Granger to be the reason that the Potions Professor missed his first class of the day." she smirked at his wide-eyed expression. Before he could say goodbye, she was off, throwing a casual "'bye" over her shoulder.

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><p><strong>AN Oh my gosh! Has it really been so long since I have updated? I'm sorry... This chapter was really hard to write - I have no idea why... grr.**

**The next chapter will, hopefully, be up soon!**

**Please review!  
><strong>


	18. Part XVIII

**A/N Here's the next chapter, a bit longer than the last one :)**

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><p>Harry stumbled in the hallway. Where was he? Why did his head hurt so much? Why... Why? He collapsed.<p>

* * *

><p>Despite what Severus had said, Hermione still believed that the bracelet had an effect on him. She just <em>knew<em> that it was going to hurt her, she had no doubt about it.

She was presently sitting in Ancient Runes, and was taking down notes robotically. Her mind wasn't on the work, it was away, wondering about why she had run to Severus at the first chance she got.

All of a sudden, her Professor's boring, monotonous voice stopped spewing out words that weren't even registering in Hermione's mind. Instead, she heard McGonagall's severe tones. "Excuse me, Professor. May I speak to Miss Granger privately, out in the hall?"

The Ancient Rubes teacher nodded immediately.

Hermione stiffly got up, reluctant to leave the class, should she miss any important information, but realized that it didn't really matter, she hadn't been paying attention to the lesson anyways.

Once they were in the hall, Professor McGonagall began to speak.

"Miss Granger. This morning two students, both from Griffyndor were found unconscious. Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter." the older woman paused for a second to let the information sink in.

"Professor! Do you know what's wrong?" Hermione's mind, which ha been drifting all morning, was suddenly racing. The last she had known of Harry and Ron, they had been under the Imperio curse. Had the person casting it made them ill? Why?

McGonagall shook her head. "Accompany me to the infirmary, Miss Granger."

Hermione followed the Headmistress through he halls and up the staircases leading to the infirmary. The door was closed, presumably to get rid of students who wanted to find out what was happening to the famous Harry Potter.

Minerva pushed the door open and waited for Hermione to catch up. A few steps form the door, she heard a familiar deep, silky voice.

"Yes, Poppy. I _do_ know what I am doing, believe it or not." she heard _him_ say.

She hoped Professor McGonagall hadn't noticed how flustered she had become just from hearing his voice. The two women stepped inside, and there he was; as tall, dark, and handsome and ever. Her heart fluttered hopelessly on her chest, and she knew that this was it, she had fallen for her Potions Professor, soon to be colleague.

"Severus, I'm glad you could make it" said Minerva, her sarcasm well hidden. "Did you find any remnants of potions in them, any indication as to what might have happened?

Severus shook his head, trying his hardest to look bored, but an almost-smile took over his face whenever his eyes flickered over to Hermione, which was more often than he cared to admit. Thankfully, Minerva wasn't paying attention to him, instead training her eyes on Gryffindor's Golden Boys.

"I haven't done anything too extensive, but so far I have found traces of a love potion. The person who administered it wasn't very careful... H-Miss Granger! Do you think this love potion nonsense with Mister Weasley has anything to do with what you, er, drank that day, some days ago?"

She nodded "Perhaps, Professor" _Not perhaps, I am absolutely sure it does, _she tried to send the message through her eyes.

The headmistress seemed very confused. She had obviously not heard of the incident where Hermione accidentally drank love potion from Ron's cup... Knowledge of it could really help right now. Whatever.

A few minutes later, McGonagall left - she had Headmistress duties to attend to, and Severus was talking to Poppy. She thrust a paper and a quill into his hands, telling him to write down any and all observations and findings. He nodded idly, looking over her shoulder to watch Hermione every so often.

He _harrumphed _when she realized that he wasn't listening, and stomped to her office.

He couldn't do anything while they were sleeping, so he sat somewhere - out of Poppy's sight, and settled on observing Hermione. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

* * *

><p>She had been sitting with her friends Harry and Ron for an hour when Harry finally stirred.<p>

"Mhmm" he mumbled, eyelids fluttering open and then closed.

In the past hour, Hermione had been in deep thought. She thought back to the hurtful things Harry and Ron had said about her, what Harry had done to Ginny, how many days she had sat alone in class. Then she reasoned with herself that they had been under the Imperius curse, and couldn't be held responsible for their actions. She had finally concluded that once they woke up, she would see what they had to say. In other words, she was tentatively forgiving them.

"Hermione?" Harry whispered his voice too weak to speak any louder. "I'm so sorry".

Her eyebrows furrowed. What did he have to be sorry for?

"I..." he shuddered "it felt like I wanted to say those things. There was a voice in the back of my head that fought it, but that feeling - of losing control of your body - it is horrible. Please, find whoever did this and make sure they never do it again. It - it..." he couldn't finish the sentence, breaking into a fit of coughs. Hermione could see the pain in his eyes as he brought the memories to the front of his brain. It was obvious that he was traumatized.

She smoothed his hair, grasping his hand tightly. "Harry. It's alright, don't worry about it. I'll find them..." she continued stroking his hair until he fell asleep again, exhausted.

She still felt nervous near him, as if she were afraid that he would start yelling again, but she did understand that he hadn't made the decisions himself. She knew that it would be some Time before she could fully trust him again, and even logger with Ron, but it felt good to speak with him after nearly three months of silence.

She heard rustling to her other side, and caught the words "Rawlings, please!"

His eyes suddenly popped open, and Severus, who had been staring at Hermione for the past fifteen minutes, unable to tear his eyes away from her, sprang into action. Severus immediately took note of Ron's glazed over eyes, and immediately concluded that yes, he had been dosed with a love potion. He reached into a hidden pocket in his cloak and drew out a little vial. He shoved it into Ron's hands and said "If you want to be with her, drink it." It was the only way to get someone under the influence of a love potion to drink the antidote, and it worked on Ron. He immediately gulped it down, and a few minutes later, his breathing evened out. Hermione watched as Severus scribbled something down on the paper, and then walk away. Her eyes followed his billowing robes until they swished into Madam Pomfrey's office. Then, her eyes moved back to Ron's sleeping form.

She knew, right then and there, that she would never be able to wait until after graduation. It had only been a few minutes, but she already missed Severus' imposing presence in the room. She missed his dark eyes, the little smirk/smile that he reserved just for her, the passion with which he kissed her. She shuddered. It would be a hellish few months if she couldn't feel his lips on hers. Her eyes popped open when she heard movement beside her.

"'Mione, I'm sorry" he whispered. She nodded, and he continued "I know you probably won't forgive me, but I will never stop trying. All of those moments with Lavender, when I was being controlled, I felt sick. I don't want Lavender, or Professor Rawlings, I. Want. You."

She was in the process of thinking up a response - something less creul than a straight-out rejection (because look how well that had gone by the last time)-, when his words clicked in her mind. Professor Rawlings? What did she have to do with anything. Ron saw her confused expression and mistook it for a look of disgust.

He tried again "Hermione, please. Say that we can be friends at least. I can't bear the thought of not being able to see you every day. It hurts to think about you in the arms of another m-" but Hermione wasn't listening. If she had been, she would have flushed to the roots of her hair because she had been with another man. Not any man, but her _Professor_. Her not-very-popular Professor.

Actually, she was just thinking about how Professor Rawlings had anything to do with this.

Ron saw that she wasn't listening; she had on the same look she had when he was talking about a topic that she wasn't interested in. Namely, Quidditch.

"Ronald," she began, her voice low "what does our Professor have to do with this?"

His face screwed up in concentration, and Hermione had to hold back a laugh.

"I can't remember, I'm sorry Hermione" he answered after a full five minutes. "If I do remember, I'll make sure to tell you, yeah? I just know it is something important."

She nodded, her mind going a mile a minute. She _had_ to figure this out.

"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey addressed the trio, as Harry had just woken up again. "You are free to go, provided you do not feel any signs of a headache or any pain...?" The boys shook their heads "Very well, off you go then."

Hermione helped Harry and Ron stand up. She couldn't bear seeing them so weak. After fighting beside them for seven long years, it was long ingrained in her to help them out, even if she currently was mad at them. They clung on to an arm each, and she helped them hobble out of the room.

However, she didn't see the jealousy in the glare Severus shot at her back, he had heard their whole conversation. What had dunderhead number two been going on about?

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><p><strong>AN Thanks for reading, leave a review?**

**XD**


	19. Part XIX

Something is off, I just know it, thought Hermione as she rushed throughout the halls. It was time for dinner. Her mind kept replaying her conversation with Ron, and she couldn't shake the feeling that a piece of information was missing. Was Ron holding information back on purpose, or was there some other magic at work? She really hoped no one had used a memory charm. She knew a few girls who had excelled at the memory charms when they had practiced in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

She remembered that Lavender had suddenly become Ron's girlfriend, and Snape _had_ said that there were traces of love potion in Ron... Had Lavender asked someone - maybe Pavarti, who was really good at memory charms - to make him forget her?

That left a string loose though. Why had Ron said Professor Rawlings' name?

Hermione promised herself that she would keep an eye on her Professor, and that she would confront Lavender later.

Content with her plan, she walked into the Great Hall. Her eyes immediately sought her Potions Professor out, and a very girly part of her blushed and giggled when she found that he was staring right back at her.

She sat down, and kept quiet all through dinner - not uncommon for her as she was usually reading. Today, she kept Professor Rawlings in her peripheral vision watching closely.

* * *

><p>Severus looked up when the doors opened again, interrupting his thoughts. He would have scowled, but it was Hermione. She was so beautiful. Now he scowled, he wasn't supposed to think like that.<p>

He had been thinking about his colleague, Rawlings. He wondered what was going on with her. He had been listening to Hermione and Ron's conversation in the infirmary an had immediately known that something big was going on.

Call it spy instinct or call it good observation skills, but he had noticed that Professor Rawlings had seemed very tired and irritable lately, despite the fact that she gave her students next to no homework. She didn't give out much that she would have to read over, test, or mark, but she still looked like she got less sleep than he did, which was sayin a lot.

Someone more trusting in others would had written it off as insomnia or something similar, but after years of working with Voldemort - who always seemed to be up to something; and Dumbledore - who always had a bigger plan than he let on; Severus had learned to be suspicious of everything and everybody. He didn't appreciate being a pawn in someone else's game.

In any case, Severus knew there was something going on with Rawlings, and he sincerely hoped it wasn't as dark as he suspected it was. That was not because he feared for the safety of Hogwarts' students, but because he worried that whatever her plan was, it would affect Hermione, and he couldn't let that happen.

He kept his eye on the Professor throughout dinner.

* * *

><p>Hermione ran to Severus' private quarters the second dinner was over, ignoring the weird looks she got from Slytherins she passed. In fact, she was so concentrated on not getting lost, and telling Severus everything, that she didn't even notice the strange glances.<p>

Severus used the little shortcut to his rooms, but was quickly intercepted by Draco.

"Have a talk with Hermione and tell her that she can't run through the dungeons. Show her this passage, whatever, just keep your little girlfriend away from gossiping Slytherins. You wouldn't believe the number of rumors that have popped up out of nowhere in the past five minutes!" he hissed, although he looked slightly amused.

"Wh-what?" Severus stammered. He gained his composure and continued "What are you talking about Draco?"

"Hermione ran throughout the dungeons towards your rooms five minutes ago. People saw her. Rumors have started. I stopped some. Do I have to spell it our for you? Go. To. Your. Room. Hermione. Is. There."

Severus nodded, still slightly confused.

What confused him more was that when he got to his room, Hermione was sitting on the couch, tapping her toes, and looking impatient.

"How did you get in he-"

"Oh come on, I got through the wards - they recognized me - and then a simple _'Alohamora'_ did the trick.

Severus wondered if Draco knew that little gap in his security, he sure hadn't,.

"Now-" Hermione started.

"Rawlings. Something is going on with her." said Severus.

"Did you just read my mind?" she asked, looking slightly worried. "That is just what I was thinking."

"Really?" he was a bit surprised.

"Yeah. Wait, were you eavesdropping on my and Ron's conversation?" she accused.

Severus almost blushed, ashamed "Sort of."

"Okay, what did you did out about Rawlings?"

"She was playing with an empty vial behind the table and looking at Mister Weasley often. I think it's safe to say that she dosed Mister Weasley with the potion."

"Oh. I noticed that she looked really tired, and kept yawning, so _I_ think it's safe to say that she was the one casting the Imperio. Oops!" she covered her mouth with both hands. "I wasn't supposed to say that" she groaned.

"Imperio?" he inquired.

"Harry and Ron have been under the Imperio curse for months now." she told him "Me and Ginny figured it out"

"Oh. And you believe Professor Rawlings had something to do with it?"

She nodded.

"Then take the issue to McGonagall, ask her to speak to the ministry. Rawlings should at least get a hearing. Assuming she really did cast the curse, of course."

Hermione sighed "Fine".

"You don't want her to be punished for her actions?"

"I think we can solve this without the threat of going to Azkaban."

"Peace-loving Gryffindor."

"I know I am." she grinned.

"Hermione," he whispered "make sure to use a less common corridor when coming here in the future."

"Wha-Why?"

"People see you, they make rumors..."

"Oh, sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me, Hermione?"

"Because rumors could get you fired!"

"So? I have a lot saved up... I'd be fine!"

Hermione smiled sheepishly "Fine, my intentions aren't quite so pure. You see, if you got fired, I wouldn't be able to see you on a daily basis..."

He smirked "How selfish, Miss Granger. I do believe being around Slytherins is changing your ways for the worse... I find that quite amusing." his voice dropped "And if you don't stop biting on that bottom lip, I'll do something more selfish than you could ever be."

She looked him in the eye "Like what?"

Her question wasn't innocent, from the gleam in Hermione's eye, she knew exactly what could happen.

Her pink tongue peeked out, wetting her red lips - red from all of the biting - and Severus growled "I'll do this"

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Severus' heart began to beat faster, as he was certain she would push him away. Hermione surprised him by reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. Her hands landed around his neck, and she pulled him towards her. It caused him to shift his weight, and fall forwards. The bracelets got hot, but not unbearably so. It was as if they didn't want the owners to get distracted from their current activities.

Severus's mouth was being attacked by Hermione's tongue. He saw that as a challenge and twined their tongues together, pushing the "battle" back into Hermione's mouth.

Hermione was now lying on the couch, and Severus was hovering over hit, resting his weight on his elbows. To and onlooker it would look like Severus' body was lying on top of Hermione, squashing her, but in truth Seberus and Hermione were only connected in one spot, their lips.

She gasped for air the moment his lips left hers.

"Sev-Severus" she said, out of breath.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think I can wait until graduation."

He kissed her gently on the cheek. "I was just thinking the same thing." he whispered.

She left later that evening - after doing some more kissing, his lips were heavenly; and making promises to tell McGonagall everything the next time they met.

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><p><strong>AN Hey! The next chapter should be up soon. I know this one took it's sweet time, but I promise the next update will be soon!**

**Please review!**


	20. Part XX

Severus rolled onto his side, annoyed. He didn't know what this feeling - the one he got whenever he saw Hermione - was, but it wasn't letting him sleep. Even though a week had passed, Severus was sure that he could smell Hermione's light perfume on the couch. Every time he walked into that room, his mind was brought back to their kiss on that couch, and for some reason, it made him feel warm and happy inside. If this was what it felt like to really fall for someone, he had no idea how he had convinced himself that what he felt for Lily was love. This was a hundred - a thousand times stronger than that silly crush. He was glad that his days of being hung up on Lily were over. He would always hold a place in his heart for her, but she no longer took up his thoughts.

Instead, it was a beautiful, dark haired witch who held his attention. He was slightly ashamed that he had something - he didn't have the foggiest clue what label he could use - going on with a student, but he always felt better after thinking that technically, if Voldemort hadn't existed and Hermione's childhood had been normal, she would have graduated last year. She was of age, almost a graduate, and a future colleague. He had no reason to feel guilty. She was constantly on his mind. In class, when a student did anything to remotely remind him of Hermione, he couldn't help but smile a bit. It didn't have to be anything dramatic like someone waving their hand in the air, it could be when a student wrote notes as quickly as she did, or when a student got an Outstanding. Little things made him think of her, and he could only hope the same went for her.

Right now, he was sort of following Hermione. He wanted to make sure that she didn't forget - the know it all, forgetting? - or chicken out of - the Gryffindor, being afraid of something? - telling McGonagall about Rawlings.

* * *

><p>"Professor McGonagall!" Hermione struggled to match the Headmistress' quick pace.<p>

"Hello, Miss Granger."

"Can I speak with you, in private? I have something I wish to share with you."

"Of course. I was just going to my office."

Hermione nodded, and followed McGonagall to what used to be Dumbledore's office. Once inside, the Headmistress gestured for Hermione to sit, get comfortable, and to get on with it.

"So, Professor. This is about the recent incident with Ron and Harry."

This seemed to get Professor McGonagall's attention, as her eyes focused on Hermione. All of the portraits seemed to perk up as well.

"Er, Harry and Ron were really mean to me, then Harry hit Ginny, so we - Ginny and I - figured out that their recent behaviour pointed towards the someone using the Imperio curse on them. And Professor Snape said that someone gave Ron a love potion. The person's first try failed, because I accidentally drank it, but their next try worked. I think Harry and Ron collapsed after the curse was taken off. It must have shocked their bodies too much to handle. And then one morning Ron called out Professor Rawlings' name, and then while I was waiting for them to wake up in the infirmary. I think Professor Rawlings cast the curse." she rambled on and on, trying to get all of the information out in a single breath.

It took a few moments for the Headmistress to process all of the information. She hadn't noticed anything strange with Hermione recently, in fact, Hermione seemed happier after starting to help Severus and Draco with cleaning the Manor. Minerva couldn't imagine Harry Potter - savior of the light - laying a hand on a girl, so she immediately believed everything about the Imperio curse. But to believe Hermione about Professor Rawlings, that was a different matter. It was choosing one Gryffindor over the other.

"The Imperio curse? What? Professor Rawlings?" McGonagall took a breath to calm herself down, then continued "Do you really believe that, Miss Granger?"

Hermione nodded, absolutely positive.

"Then Professor Rawlings will have to agree to appear in court. Accusations for using an Unforgivable can not be ignored. Do you wish to take this issue to the ministry?" asked McGonagall.

Hermione sighed "I wish that it didn't come to this, but I don't think anything would come of a private meeting, us Gryffindors are too stubborn... Yes."

Professor McGonagall sighed, her face showing all the fatigue she held. It made Hermione feel sad, to see her former Head of House looking so tired, so _old_.

"Then I'll take it to the ministry whenever I get the chance."

"Thank you Professor."

"Thank _you_, Miss Granger for reporting the suspicious behaviour."

Hermione sighed in relief. It didn't seem that McGonagall thought she was lying, so it was a start. She really didn't think a whole ministry trial was needed, but there seemed to be no other option.

Hermione walked out... and almost ran into Snape.

* * *

><p>His ear was pressed against the door like a child eavesdropping on his parents. He couldn't get over how beautiful her voice sounded. It was melodic, and entrancing. He had always enjoyed listening to her present speeches because of the way she captured the audience's attention. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was the distant relative of a Veela. He almost didn't hear her soft footsteps, and he jumped out of Minerva's sight at the last second. Of course. Hermione bumped right into him.<p>

"Oops!" she giggled.

"I'm alright Hermione, thank you for asking" Severus muttered sarcastically. It was amazing how quickly he let his guard down around her, despite the fact that she was a student, a Gryffindor, and had just bumped into him.

"Can I speak to you in your room... now?" she asked. He nodded, and showed her the way through the more secret corridor, explaining that he had found it back when he was in Hogwarts. She looked around, observing everything. She noted the fact that she would never get used to the damp feeling of the dungeons, despite having come down here nearly every day for Potions classes for the past six years of her life.

She wasn't watching her step, and she stumbled a bit on a loose stone. Severus caught her by the arm, and looked at him gratefully. Her expression was so sincere, so sweet, that Severus had to kiss her.

This witch had him under her spell, and he didn't mind at all.

Their breath quickened as the kiss deepened. Hermione backed up against the wall, and gasped when instead of coming in contact with solid wall, she almost fell into a hidden room. They broke apart, and Hermione started laughing.

"What?" asked Severus, genuinely curious.

"This room is where I found the bracelet!"

"Really?"

"Yes..." she looked up at him, and couldn't stop her hands from pulling on his robes. Pulling him closer, she stopped when their mouths were millimeters away from each other. She looked at him and whispered "Severus". She pulled him closer, and their lips touched. Hermione felt sparks shoot down to warm her toes. She imagined fireworks. His mouth covered hers, and their tongues met. In a moment of Gryffindor bravery, Hermione stood flat on the ground, not on her tiptoes anymore, and began placing kisses down Severus' neck. Her fingers lightly traced the scars from Nagini's bite, and she didn't imagine the shiver that ran through him. She was surprised that he let her touch the marks. It made her feel happy, because by letting her see his wounds, he told her that he trusted her.

She practically melted into his arms, gasping slightly when he picked her up, and placed her on a desk. She was now tall enough to kiss without him having to bend down. Their tongues danced together, and she sucked on his lip. He groaned, and she couldn't believe how proud she was to be the only girl in the world who could make him make that glorious sound.

He ran his hands down her arms, and clasped their hands together.

Severus moved his left hand onto the Hermione's waist and pulled her closer; she chuckled quietly to herself as she waited for what was next. Just as quickly as they had begun, they stopped and Severus pulled away. A few seconds later Severus' face inched closer to hers slowly... too slowly. His lips lingered on her forehead for just a second or two before moving back to her lips.

When it was over, Hermione found herself sitting on a desk, her legs wrapped around Severus Snape. She grinned at him.

"I know you were eavesdropping." she said and he flushed slightly. She giggled at him; he looked so flustered. She shrugged and wrapped her arms around his torso "I don't care" she whispered, and he chuckled. His arms made their way around her too, and neither knew how long they stood their, wrapped around each other. Hermione didn't know how she had fallen for him so fast, and Severus was having similar thoughts.

"Come have tea with me?" asked Severus, unable to make himself want to let her leave. She smiled, and nodded without hesitation.


	21. Part XXI

They managed to arrive at Severus' room no worse for wear, although it had taken a few minutes to find the exit to the room. The room itself seemed not to want to let them leave. They sat down, Hermione in what she was now calling "her" seat on the couch. Severus rummaged around the little kitchen, and came back with two cups of tea. They sat in silence and sipped the warm tea. Gradually, her fingertips warmed, and she felt slightly less... damp and musty. The dungeons really were wet and disgusting. They also smelled faintly of something decaying, although she had no desire to find out why it smelled like that, or what was creating the smell.

Severus observed her. He took note of the way she folded her legs underneath her; he watched the way she licked the corners of her lips to catch any stray drops of tea; he stared at the way she looked around, absorbing every detail around the room.

"Hermione," her attention immediately snapped to him, her big brown eyes staring intently into his. _'I can't stop thinking about you'_ he thought desperately, wanting for once in his life for someone to read his mind. He couldn't muster up the courage to say those six words, because he knew it would change whatever relationship they had now. He was perfectly happy like this, seeing her occasionally outside of class, speaking with her. However, he was not happy with the fact that he couldn't press her up against the wall and kiss her to within an inch of her life whenever he wanted... at least not in public (not that he would, anyway. It was a very interesting thought).

She looked at him, one eyebrow raised and a quizzical expression on her face, and he realized that he hadn't finished his sentence. "Nothing. It's nothing important." he said. She looked like she didn't believe him, but let it go. He was glad she didn't press the issue - that would meant that he would have to come up with a lie, and he did not want to give Hermione any reason not to trust him.

"Do you think I should forgive Ron... and Harry?" she asked, biting her bottom lip. He did his best to cover up his growl (at the thought of Hermione with another man) with a cough, although it came out sounding like more like a moan than anything else. "I think that I should. They weren't conscious of what was happening, and would never treat me like that normally."

"I never did hear the full story" he re-directed their conversation to something that wouldn't make him want to throw up. It was painful thinking that Ronald Weasley might get _his_ Hermione - that's what she was. _His_. Not Weasley's, _his.__  
><em>

She launched into the tale from the beginning, excluding the part where his comment had hurt her at breakfast all those weeks ago, as he already knew the story - her slightly altered version - of how she found the charm. By the end, Severus had finished his tea, and was pouring more for himself, and automatically refilling Hermione's cup as if it were habit. He looked in deep thought, and Hermione didn't want to disturb him.

A few minutes passed in silence before Severus spoke again. "I agree that Mister Weasley and Mister Potter were being controlled by the Imperio curse and couldn't stop whatever they did. I also think that you would benefit from forming a friendship with Mister Weasley again. I disagree, however, that you should let them off so easily. I know they apologized, but from what you said, the day that Potter yelled at you, he still hadn't been under the curse."

"That may be true, but he was angry at me. I wouldn't have done anything like that to him if the positions were reversed, but he had just defeated Voldemort," Severus visibly flinched from the name, but Hermione plowed on "so I figure he had every right to be on edge. I was just the one who first did it - pushed him off."

They sat in silence some more. "Why do you think that I would benefit from a friendship with Ron?" she asked, sincerely curious.

He shrugged as if it didn't matter to him, even though his heart - yes, the black shriveled up one that everyone who got on his bad side thought was non-existent - felt like it was being ripped apart when the following words left his mouth "I've heard that you two are supposed to be married one day."

"No! No one can tell us who to marry, and I don't think I would ever say yes, even if he did propose." she said, outraged that he thought she would just cave from pressure from Molly... and the majority of the wizarding world who thought that it would be so romantic for the two best friends to one day be married... Nope. There was absolutely no chance of that happening.

"Would you ever consider going back to Mister Weasley?" Severus asked. He felt mixed. He wanted the best for Hermione, which would obviously being married to someone _not_ double her age (not that he was thinking of marriage with her). He also wanted her to himself. He awaited the answer to his question, which she took two minutes to seriously think it over.

Finally, she came to a decision "Maybe. I don't think I can ever be interested in Ron romantically again, especially after what he called me, but I do miss being his friend. Besides, if I'm gone, who else will be there to stop him and Harry from doing something foolish or dangerous?"

Severus let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding, and smiled, chuckling. Hermione was right, Potter and Weasley would get into all sorts of mischief without her. He was comforted with the knowledge that she would never go back to the Weasel.

"Would you be jealous if I _did _become romantically involved with Ron again?"

He shrugged, then thought better of the ambiguous answer "Yes."

She smiled a huge, dazzling smile, and he couldn't help but smile right back. She was touched by his sincerity, knowing how rare it was to find a Slytherin willing to put his or her feelings on the line as he had just done.

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><p><strong>AN I know this was almost pure fluff, but some of the things they say will be important later...**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review!**


	22. Part XXII

_Sunday April 1st (2 days later)  
><em>

Hermione awoke the next morning, feeling more rested than she had in months. It was all finally over: the harassing (from Harry and Ron), Professor Rawlings would be gone soon - after the trial, which would take place on May 21, the war was over and Voldemort was defeated, and she had Severus.

He was still a strict teacher; rude, still giving unnecessary points to Slytherin; but he seemed more _human, _at least in Hermione's eyes. He didn't pick on Gryffindors anymore, and wasn't completely monotonous while speaking. He actually formed the words with his mouth, an improvement over what had always seemed to be a ventriloquist impression. These little changes were probably not noticeable to many, but Hermione felt that they counted. When in private, those changes were more apparent, and every time she thought about how they had laughed, or how he offered her something to drink, it made her blush and smile uncontrollably. Severus Snape really wasn't a bad person.

She sat up, stretching her back. Hermione immediately noticed a package at the foot of her bed. After a glance at her clock told her she wouldn't miss breakfast (Sunday breakfasts were always the best), she reached down to open the package.

After slowly peeling the wrapping paper off, she found a box. It was plain brown, and not very eye-catching, but Hermione opened it quickly, not bothering to check for dark curses.

A letter flew, literally, out of the box. It started taking in a way that reminded her of a howler.  
><em><br>"Hey, 'Mione, George here. I want to formally wish you a happy April Fools day! This box is chock full of different ways to prank people, a compilation of some of my best work - if I do say so myself. Put it to good use, make me proud!"_

The letter exploded into multicoloured confetti. Hermione stared in shock, and then laughed. She hadn't realized that it was April 1st, and was thankful that George hadn't set up a prank on the box, so that when she opened it, something would fly our or hit her in the face... She raked her eyes over the different objects, all of which came with directions. She wanted to use some of them...

At breakfast, she sat with Harry and Ron, easily falling back into the six year old routine. While Ron wasn't looking, she put a few drops of a very suspicious looking liquid into Ron's goblet, winking at Harry, who grinned. When Ron went to take a sip of his pumpkin juice, his head turned into a pumpkin. He looked outraged, which should have been scary, but seeing as he was a pumpkin, his glare didn't have much effect on her.

He changed back a few seconds later, and couldn't hold his laughter in. "Oh! I've never seen that one before!" be said in between laughs. She beamed at him, barely stifling her own laughs. She would never tell Ron - for it would seriously lower his self esteem - but she thought that he looked much more attractive as a pumpkin.

She finished her meal. It was still tense between her, Ron, and Harry, but they had laughed a bit during breakfast, chatting about this and that.

"I need to go to the library," Hermione announced "I have an Arithmancy paper due in a few days."

Harry and Ron shared a secret smirk when Hermione left.

She went up to her room to get the necessary supplies.

Ten minutes later, she was pulling apart her corner of the room, frantically searching. She couldn't find a single quill, or her Arithmancy textbook. She looked _everywhere_: in her trunk, in the bathroom, under her pillow. They were nowhere to be found! It was on a shelf that she found a slip of paper.

_Hey Hermione, _

_Happy April Fool's Day! _

_Harry and Ron_

_Ps. We have your things!_

She scrunched the paper in her hand. How dare they mess with her school supplies? After years of being friends, they should know that Hermione and her homework were not to be messed with...

It didn't matter. She was not going to give them the satisfaction of begging for her book. She was a Gryffindor, after all, so she was allowed to be stubborn. Hermione waved her wand around and muttered a spell to right her bed and belongings, and walked out. She decided to go to Ginny, and completely forget about doing work.

the rest of the morning was spent laughing with Ginny to the background sounds of people being pranked. Every so often, there was a loud _boom _or a shriek. All in all, a very enjoyable - and amusing- morning.

* * *

><p>'Where is she?" Ron asked, perplexed.<p>

"I dunno. I really thought she'd come to get her book..." Harry answered, scratching his head.

"We really can't outsmart her, can we?"

"Nope."

"Maybe Lavender didn't put the letter in the right spot?"

"I think Hermione's being stubborn by not coming to us. Lavender undoubtedly did her job well."

"That _does_ seem like Hermione."

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>After a light lunch, Hermione wandered off to the library, her go-to place for when things got boring,, and frankly, she didn't feel like talking with Ginny. She had nothing against the girl, it was just that Ginny was so <em>loud <em>and much too enthusiastic. Right now, Hermione wanted peace and quiet - the library would be perfect.

She was just settling down with a good book, trying to ignore the need to do her Arithmancy, when Ginny came running into the library, ignoring the reprimands from Madame Pince.

"Hermione, Hermione?" she all but yelled.

"Over here Ginny" answered Hermione, quietly. She silently cursed her predictability. Of course Ginny would find her in the library...

"Oh my gosh! Draco asked me to go with you guys to the Manor!"

All thoughts of herself vanished, and Hermione smiled "He did? Wow! That's great. Wait, with 'us'?"

"Yes, the next time you three go there, I'll tag along." Ginny said.

"Alright." Hermione was a bit shocked. This was so sudden "Hey, this seems like it came out of nowhere, what happened between you two?" she asked, craving information.

"Surprisingly enough, nothing. I don't know what happened, or what changed between us. It doesn't matter anyways because he is the hottest 'bad-boy' in this school... But you disagree, don't you Hermione. I know you want to spend hours on end making out - or more - with the evil bat. Not that I actually believe his evil act. Guys are so obvious..." Ginny rambled. "Hey, do you think McGonagall will let me go? What am I saying, who can say no to "the Evil Bat" and Draco?"

Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't keep from smiling and blushing.

Oh, she really had it bad, didn't she?

Hermione looked over at Ginny, who had a sickeningly happy expression on her face. Well, it seemed that she wasn't the only one who had it bad.

"I'm gonna go see if I can find Draco. Bye 'Mione!" Ginny got up and rushed out of the library, leaving Hermione alone.

Hermione read for the rest of the afternoon, annoying the people sitting near her with the goofy grin that seemed to be permanently stuck on her face. She read and read, and although her forehead would crease every so often, the sickeningly happy expression on her face never left her face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hey, I have to apologize for my lack of updates recently... I'm sorry... **

**Anyways, what did you think? Also, I know the Ginny/Draco thing was really sudden, but it will all make sense soon!  
><strong>

**Please Review!  
><strong>


	23. Part XXIII

_Monday April 9th (8 days later)_

"-my goodness, he is so hot! Hey, Hermione. Look what I found in this little room beside the Gryffindor common room." Ginny lifted her sleeve up to show Hermione a thin silver chain. It looked familiar to Hermione in a way that she just couldn't put her finger on.

"Cool, Ginny. I hope you asked around to make sure no one lost it."

"That's what's so weird. It was a really dusty room and it seemed like no one had been in there in years! I'm not completely sure how _I_ found it."

"Amazing." Hermione whispered offhandedly, completely distracted "I have to go Ginny, I have Muggle Studies now."

"Alright, 'bye!"

Hermione was glad that it was time for her next class. The last hour had been spent with Ginny - who had a free hour, like Hermione - in the library. Ginny hadn't shut up for the whole sixty minutes. Tonight they would go to Malfoy Manor, and Ginny was beyond excited. Hermione had been excited at the news too, and had spoken in excited whispers about it with Ginny, but twenty minutes later, Hermione had used up her whole reserve of 'excited' and wanted to read. Ginny, however, seemed to have a never-ending supply of 'excited' and had proceeded to talk Hermione's ear off.

Class was actually pretty interesting, but Hermione already knew all of the information. That meant that when the Professor handed out the work, Hermione finished it in record time, and was granted free time to walk around.

She wandered aimlessly through the corridors.

All of a sudden, footsteps sounded out from behind her. Hermione turned on her heel sharply, and raised her wand reflexively - although Professor Trelawney would swear that Hermione had 'felt' the need for self preservation.

Professor Rawlings was behind her, looking murderous.

For the past week or so, Rawlings had been permitted to teach, but another Professor had to supervise the lessons to stop anything going on. Rawlings would be replaced next year. Hermione guessed she had been informed why that was necessary, and concluded that her Professor was angry about getting fired.

Hermione's wand stayed in the air, although she lowered it just a bit. Normally, she would feel ashamed to have raised a wand against a Professor, but she felt nothing about this particular one.

"You bitch! How dare you lose me my job?" Rawlings hissed.

Hermione felt affronted. No real Professor would disrespect their student like this!

Just when she was about to say something, Professor Rawlings' hand connected with Hermione's cheek, and Hermione was thrown back from the sheer force of it. She stared up in shock, unable to process that her Professor had just slapped her. It was bound to leave a mark, too.

"How dare yo-" Hermione began, but her 'Professor' interrupted.

"No. How dare _you_ keep me from the love of my life? Ronald deserves so much better than a filthy Mudblood."

Hermione felt tears spring up to her eyes. Those words hurt more than the slap had. "You... you." Her throat was dry, and she felt such overwhelming sadness that she fell against the wall, finding it hard to stay upright.

Professor Rawlings laughed - laughed! - at that.

"What should I do with you now, mudblood?" She asked.

"We're both from Gryffindor, I'm no different than you." Hermione protested weakly, trying in vain to win Rawlings over.

Another laugh. "_I'm no different than you." _the Professor mocked. "Besides the fact that I am smarter, older, and _Pureblooded_."

Hermione let out a sob. They had won this war to stop this type of discrimination - it should be over.

"What are you doing?" yelled a voice.

"Harry!" Hermione breathed.

"Let her go!" yelled a second voice.

"Ronald! I'm getting rid of her. Don't you want that? If she's gone, there will be no one left to get in between us!" Professor Rawlings yelled.

"Are you delusional? What in the world could make you think that I would let someone who had me under the Imperio curse for months convince me to 'get rid of' one of my best friends?" Ron yelled back.

Harry muttered a body-bind curse, and Rawlings toppled over. Ron helped Hermione up, and let her lean against him. Her legs felt to shaky to risk putting her weight on them.

Somehow, McGonagall was called, Hermione was brought some tea, and they ended up sitting in McGonagall's office.

Harry and Ron explained what they had seen, and Professor Rawlings - who was now officially fired from her position at Hogwarts - had given her recount of events. According to her, Hermione attacked her first. It was a losing battle for Rawlings - the the bruise on Hermione's cheek had begun forming..

In the end, Professor McGonagall asked for all four versions of the memories. She poured them into the pensive, one after the other, and mixed them gently.

"Let's go in and see the truth." she told them.

Hermione had read, long ago, that if a memory was mixed with one or more versions of the same memory (from a different point of view, perhaps), it would take the most important event in the memory, and use clips from each memory to make a sort of movie. It didn't always work, as some people wanted to focus on the smaller details in a memory, but in this case, it was a smart idea.

They leaned in.

_"You bitch!"_

_The slap. Hermione watching her ex-professor raise her hand. The stinging in her cheek. Then from Rawlings' perspective. Hermione's wonderfully scared expression. Then Harry and Rob appearing when Rawlings was screaming at Hermione. Hermione's tears. The almost gleeful expression on Rawlings' face at Hermione's tears._

The memories flashed by, and then they were spit back out.

Hermione felt on the verge of tears again from the memories and experiencing the thrill Rawlings had gotten at scaring her, and sniffed loudly.

Professor McGonagall got up from her seat to begin pacing, a truly frightening look on her face.

"Miss Rawlings. I am very disappointed in the way you acted today. It was foolish and reckless. I know that Gryffindors are known for those two qualities, but I would expect an adult and teacher to be a bit more civilized. When Miss Granger reported you to me," at this Rawlings shot Hermione a glare, then shifted her eyes to McGonagall "she asked me if it would be possible to resolve the issue without going to the Ministry. I wasn't sure what to say, but now I am certain. You are obviously not fit to teach. You used an Unforgivable on not one - but two students, attempted to slip one a love potion, and by the looks of or, wanted to seriously injure Hermione. It is unacceptable behaviour on your part, and I am certain that the Ministry will be needed.."

Rawlings looked ashamed, as she should.

"I'm very sorry, Hermione, Ron, Harry. What I did really was unacceptable, and looking back, I really don't know why I did what I did. I do feel bad. I used an Unforgivable, but could you please tell me that you forgive me?"

Pr-Rawlings? I forgive you." Hermione whispered. Everyone in the room turned to her in surprise. She had been the most affected by all of this, and no one had expected her to forgive Rawlings so easily. "I can forgive you, but I will never forget."

The ex-professor nodded grimly.

"I know. Thank you."

The meeting was adjourned after it was determined that Rawlings could stay at Hogwarts until the end of the year, even after appearing in court. After the school year was over, Rawlings would be sent either to Azkaban, or to her home. In any case, she would not be returning to Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><strong>AN What did you think?  
><strong>

**Please Review!**


	24. Part XXIV

_(Later that day)_

Ginny came bounding into Hermione's dormitories, seeming so happy that she could start flying. The overly happy expression on her face slid off when she saw Hermione.

"Hey Her- What's that?" Ginny raised her hand to lightly touch the back to Hermione's bruised cheek. Hermione flinched, and Ginny drew her hand away immediately.

"Rawlings slapped me." Hermione said as an explanation.

"Oh." Ginny leaned forward to give Hermione a hug, which Hermione returned. Ginny didn't know the details, but didn't want to push Hermione at the moment. Hermione definitely needed the hug, and hung on for longer than strictly necessary. "Why didn't you go to get it healed by Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny asked.

"I dunno. Professor McGonagall told me just to use glamours until it heals." Hermione shrugged to show her indifference.

Ginny sensed her discomfort, and changed the topic quickly "Are you ready?" Ginny asked, looking Hermione over. Hermione looked exhausted and miserable, and there were tracks on her face from the tears she had cried this morning.

"Ready for what?" Hermione had no idea what Ginny was talking about.

"Um, to go to Malfoy Manor... If you aren't going then I'm not either. Not that I want to pressure you into going either."

Hermione smiled. Ginny had brightened her mood so much that she was willing to joke around "Of course I'm going, silly. I wouldn't miss being around 'the Evil Bat' for anything. Do you think I should cover up the bruise?"

Ginny shook her head. "I think I read somewhere that glamours stop the healing process. If you don't have to cover it up, don't."

"Where did you read that? Even I didn't know that!" Hermione was surprised. Since she came to Hogwarts, there were few people who gave her new information, and she felt slightly ashamed to learn something from Ginny - who was younger than her! It wasn't in any of the schoolbooks Hermione had read, which led her to wonder where Ginny had learned the information.

"I can't remember, although I remember it was really interesting to read."

"Ginny, do you want to be a healer?"

"Me? No. I'm going to be on a Quidditch team, and play for..."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, you caught me, I want to help heal people. I found that I am really good at it during the war, and the fact that I'm helping others makes me feel warm and gooey inside." She smiled dreamily.

Hermione playfully hit her arm "Earth to Ginny, we've got to go, we'll be late."

That seemed to snap Ginny out of her reverie and she pulled Hermione's arm.

"Come on!" Ginny yelled, and ran out.

Hermione followed her, laughing.

With Ginny pulling at her sleeve to help her keep her pace up, Hermione made it to Severus' room in record time. Hermione showed Ginny the secret passage, although she felt weird to be navigating it without Severus. Her cheeks coloured when she passed 'the room'. Thankfully, Ginny didn't notice the blush, and for once Hermione thanked the fact that the corridors in the dungeons were poorly lit.

Turning the final corner, Ginny grew more and more shy, and was practically cowering behind Hermione while she knocked on the door. Severus opened the door.

"Hello Hermione and... Miss Weasley." he said, not sparing them a second glance.

"It's Ginny." Ginny corrected. He raised an eyebrow in her general direction, turning to look over his shoulder.

"Alright. Hermione, G-Ginny, step in." He moved away from the door. Hermione immediately went to the couch. Ginny hovered by the door until Draco showed up from the kitchen. Ginny smiled at him, and Draco was so flustered that he ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair, messing it up.

Severus and Hermione glanced at each other, raising their eyebrows simultaneously. Severus had never seen Draco turn that shade of red, and Hermione had never seen Ginny look so fidgety.

Severus' eyes flitted over Hermione's face. He noticed the bruise, went to turn around, and did a double take. A _bruise?_ It took him less than two seconds to be beside Hermione, who seemed surprised, then understood why he seemed to worried and relaxed. He ran his fingertips around her bruise. It looked tender, so he tried not to brush the actual bruise. He noticed her eyes were filling with tears. Assuming that it was because she felt pain, he withdrew his hand, only to find it stopped by Hermione's smaller one. She gripped his hand tightly, and pulled him closer, snuggling into his robes.

He let her do that partly because it was _Hermione_ and he would let her do basically anything, and partly because he was confused. What was she doing? More importantly, where did she get that nasty-looking bruise?

"Hermione, what happened?" he asked. He then realized that she was shaking from her tears, and gave her a few seconds to calm down. He patted her on the head awkwardly, not sure just how to console her.

"Rawlings. She c-caught me al-alone in the hallway, and s-she slapped me and cal-called me some names that-that aren't very pleasant to h-hear. Ron and Harry saved me."

He pushed her away and stood up, fuming. "SHE DID _WHAT?"_

"She slapped me." answered Hermione, who had stopped sniffling.

"No, what did she call you?"

"A mudblood."

"She... she... Oh, when I'm through with her, she's going to wish she had never been born!" I'm going to KILL her!" he exclaimed reaching for his wand as if Rawlings was right in front of him. He actually started leaving the room, but Draco placed a mild binding spell on him, and it was all he could do to stop from falling over.

"NO! It's alright. McGonagall will send her to court, and she apologized." Hermione said.

"Oh, so she... apologized, and it's suddenly alright to _slap_ you?"

Hermione shook her head. It was a good point.

Severus took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself. The only reason he was managing to stay so calm was because he was promising himself that the next time he and Rawlings crossed paths, there would be some _big_ trouble for her. He sat down again. Severus waved his hand to tell Draco and Ginny to make themselves scarce, and they escaped to the kitchen.

"Hermione. I have a feeling that her apology wasn't very sincere. Who would go through so much trouble to hurt you, and then apologize?"

That was true. Hermione shrugged. All of a sudden, Draco ran into the room.

"Sev, Hermione," He started, wringing his hands nervously "I think I remember that we captured her two sisters and her during the war. They were kept in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. If my father was telling the truth th-that night, she watched her sisters get tortured and killed, and she escaped by chance in the chaos when Hermione, Potter, and Weasley broke out with the other prisoners. I would even be willing to bet on the fact that she watched at least one of the Golden Trio be tortured. My guess is that she watched Weasley."

Hermione stared in shock. She hadn't known that Harry and Ron had gotten tortured too. She had thought that it was only her. Why had they never told her?

"So you think she went crazy watching her family members being tortured and then killed, and then felt bound to Mister Weasley because she watched him get tortured too, but he escaped alive?" Severus asked.

Hermione couldn't believe how easily the former Death Eaters were talking about torture and death. Then again – they _were_ once Death Eaters.

Draco nodded "Exactly. There is one thing that doesn't fit: why did McGonagall hire her?"

Now Hermione spoke up "If she had Harry and Ron under the Imperius, it's not hard to imagine that she had the Headmistress in a similar position." she said. It made sense... besides the fact that Minerva should have been able to fight the effects of the curse.

Severus shook his head "No, that doesn't seem very likely. Three Imperios are enough to drain the energy of even the most powerful witch or wizard. Perhaps a potion-"

"Do you think someone is polyjuiced as McGonagall?" asked Ginny, who had also come into the room.

"Maybe..." said Severus. "I'll test her for dark curses when we get back, although I have no idea if she will let us test her for Potions."

"Speaking of 'when we get back'," Draco said "We should go now".

All eyes turned to him, but if he was flustered, he didn't show it. Instead, he pointed to the door.

Ginny and Draco filed out first, followed by Hermione and Severus behind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hey! The next chapter will be more eventful, I promise. It should be up by Monday or Tuesday!**

**Please review!**

**ps. What do you think is up with McGonagall and Rawlings?  
><strong>


	25. Part XXV

_(Half an hour later)_

Aside from the slightly awkward beginning, the evening at Malfoy Manor was quite enjoyable.

It seemed that Ginny fit right into their little group, and Severus seemed relieved that they had an extra pair of hands to help clean. Draco seemed generally happy, and Hermione suspected that it was due to Ginny being there as well.

Ginny proposed that they split up. Everyone agreed that it was a reasonable idea, and Ginny beamed at Draco, took him by the hand, and led him out of the room. Severus and Hermione worked in silence for a few minutes until Severus nervously cleared his throat.

Hermione had expected him to continue to question her about the encounter with Rawlings, and had been shocked when she heard an apology instead.

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything!" Hermione exclaimed, slightly confused.

"I apologize for losing control of myself. After the war, I promised myself I was done with the ways of the Death Eaters, but my reaction to your news was proof that I can't do that. I feel that I've let myself d-"

Hermione cut him off with a raised hand. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Your reaction had nothing to do with bring a Death Eater. If the roles had been reversed, I would have done the same. Don't beat yourself up about it." she said, reassuringly placing a small hand on his arm.

The warmth of her gaze forced a smile out if him, no matter how hard he tried to maintain his composure. She grinned right back at him, and he realized, right at that moment, how much he had come to care for her. Despite the age difference and the fact that he and she were so different, he felt strongly for her, and would do anything in his power - and more - to keep her safe. Though they didn't know each other well, Severus felt that there was something about them, something that just clicked.

His thoughts were interrupted by a decidedly feminine giggle. Hermione. Why was she laughing?

"You... just... apologized!" she managed to squeeze out in between giggles. He blinked. Why yes, he had just apologized. How strange.

She was practically rolling on the floor when there was a loud crash. Hermione immediately sat up and wiped the tears - from laughing - away and shot him a worried look. She ran out of the room, while he smoothed out his robes and began walking at a leisurely pace. It wouldn't do to look worried. Also, running made his face red and splotchy, and he wouldn't have that. Of course, his plan was ruined because Hermione ran back, grabbed his hand, and forced him to hurry up.

Had anyone been watching them, it would be a comical sight. The evil Potions Professor being hauled along by the Gryffindor know-it-all. He almost laughed himself.

When they found the room where Ginny and Draco were, everything seemed to be in order.

"What was that sound?" asked Hermione, worried.

Ginny began laughing while Draco blushed. Severus and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Draco was trying to pick a lamp off, and bragging about how strong he was, when he dropped it!" Draco fidgeted. Hermione stifled a giggle.

"Oh." Severus said, annoyed that he had practically _run_ over here for something so... unimportant. "If that is all, I'll just be going..." he turned and left, and Hermione soon followed.

They quickly finished up the room they were working on.

"How are we going to clean all of the rooms in this house?" Hermione asked, turning to Severus "There must be hundreds of rooms, and secret passages..."

"I know, Hermione" was all he said.

When they finished cleaning the room with any cleaning spell they could think of, they put the harmless objects back to their rightful places, and sent the rest to the ballroom, where they were currently keeping anything that might be thrown out.

A few minutes later, Hermione announced "I'm bored."

Severus raised an eyebrow at her "And how do you propose to change that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Can we talk about Rawlings?" she asked.

Severus nodded, and took a seat in the chair next to hers.

"What is it you wish to discuss?"

Hermione shifted her eyes so that she was staring at a spot on the wall just beside his left ear. "What do you think she's doing to McGonagall?" she asked.

Severus thought hard about it, mumbled something under his breath, and stood up suddenly, startling Hermione.

"Did Minerva drink anything while you were having your meeting?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head, but then paused. "Well, Rawlings left the room to go to the bathroom at one point. She came back with... with tea." her eyes widened. "I didn't drink any, but I think McGonagall did! What kind of potion could she have slipped in? She seemed just like herself!"

Severus waited for her to get it.

"Delayed reaction." she whispered. "She was acting weird while Rawlings was apologizing, as though she didn't care what happened as long as we got out of there soon. I thought she had other things to attend to, and needed us to hurry up. I was too busy focusing on Rawlings that I completely forgot about everything else. I was too busy replaying everything that happened in my head. Do you know something?" she took a breath "Harry and Ron - I remember from the beginning of the year - were absolutely obsessed with Rawlings. It was _'Did you see the way she tossed her silky hair over her shoulder'_ or _'Her eyes are so pretty. I swear she winked at me'_. I was annoyed with them, because she is a Professor and they were there to learn, weren't they. They found her annoying when she taught, because she was so boring, but they weren't even listening to her properly. They were too busy watching her!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"When they saw her s-slap me, when we went through the memories, I could see - I could feel! - their disappointment at the realization that she is so... not what they expected. I was so focused on all of that, that I didn't notice my Headmistress drink a potion!"

"It's not your fault"

"Yes it is! If I hadn't been over-analyzing everything, I could have stopped it!"

"Hermione!"

She stopped her rambling to listen to him.

"This shows that she is willing to take a huge risk to get what she wants. She was willing to risk being caught by you to get the potion to Minerva. She was betting on the slight chance that you wouldn't be paying attention to what she was doi-"

"And I wasn't!"

"But you will be next time."

Hermione considered this for some time. It was true. Rawlings had risked it all by giving McGonagall a potion right under her nose. It just showed how bad she was at making plans, how lucky she was, and that she was crazy she really was. It also showed that McGonagall put too much faith in the teachers because she hadn't even checked! But Severus was right. The next time Rawlings made the mistake of underestimating her, Hermione would catch her, she was sure of it.


	26. Part XXVI

**A/N Hey! I'm so sorry for the wait! Real life got in the way... LOL. Anyway, here is the next chapter!**

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><p><em>Tuesday April 10th (the next day)<em>

_"But you will be next time."_

Severus' words from the previous night repeated themselves in her head all throughout breakfast. Hermione knew that she was becoming slightly obsessed with everything going on with Rawlings - obsessed as in, when Harry mentioned hearing about a guy who caught a snitch fifteen minutes after the game started, she exclaimed "Catch! Must catch Rawlings..." -, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Okay, she did care, but couldn't do anything about it! She was driving herself crazy! She couldn't stop thinking about it. She just wanted it to be over so that she could enjoy the remaining months of school in peace. She wanted to have time to talk with Severus, time to talk with her friends, time to bask in the glory that is finishing an essay on time. That couldn't happen until the issue with Rawlings was resolved.

_Wednesday April 11th (one day later)_

Hermione spent the few days after their visit to Malfoy Manor watching Rawlings.

McGonagall had let Rawlings continue teaching, which Hermione knew was the result of being under some sort of enchantment, but annoyed her to no end. It made Hermione feel betrayed - even though she knew her old Head of House couldn't control her actions and decisions right now - that McGonagall was choosing Rawlings over her.

Rawlings also wasn't exactly being secretive in her negative feelings towards Hermione, which was the source of confusion for many Gryffindor students. Why wasn't the girl who had been a shoo-in for Head Girl during her sixth year in the good books of their new Head of House?

And they had just started warming up to her again! It had started with a few first years smiling at her a few weeks ago when she waved at them, some second and third years waving and saying hello when they passed her in the hallways or in the common room, and people not leaving the room when she entered. Then, some of the older students took to talking with her if the opportunity presented itself. Some students had even started coming to her for help with homework, or just life in general. Now, with Rawlings acting as if she thought Hermione was something worse than scum, some of the students had begun to ignore her again. What a mess!

The first time Hermione suspected Rawlings of doing something suspicious was when she invited McGonagall up to her rooms. Hermione hadn't heard the conversation personally, but immediately after breakfast on Wednesday, Severus informed her that McGonagall had agreed to go visit Rawlings at seven that evening. He told her that he thought it was to give her another dose of the potion.

His intention obviously hadn't been to make the already obsessed Hermione even more emotionally unbalanced, but his story had done just that.

Hermione went through her classes that day as normally as she could, although her mind insisted on drifting off to either think of Severus, who had looked a bit worried after hearing her mumble to herself about Rawlings; or to think of a way to ruin Rawlings' plans for Ron and McGonagall - whatever they might be.

How to catch Rawlings in the act of giving McGonagall the potion? That would be tricky. It took her nearly the whole day - for she was no Slytherin -, but she managed to come up with a foolproof plan... well, as foolproof as her mind could come up with in her slightly crazy state.

Immediately after classes, she rushed off to find Severus, although she kept in mind what he had said about the rumors, and kept out of the way of most of the students going to dinner.

She found him easily, and asked him for the password to the Headmistress' office - which he thankfully knew. Before he could sit her down and ask her exactly why she needed the office, she had run off.

It was quarter to seven now, and Hermione was pacing in front of the fireplace in McGonagall's office, mustering up the courage to floo-call the Ministry. The protests from the portraits on the walls did nothing to distract Hermione, and she quickly threw in a handful of floo powder. After shouting her destination, she stuck her head into the green flames, and told the person on the other end that there was an emergency at Hogwarts, and that aurors would probably be needed. Not ten seconds later, three aurors arrived through the fireplace. She stepped back, and led them to the Gryffindor tower. She was a war heroine, so they didn't ask questions as to where they were going. It was dinnertime, so there weren't any students roaming the halls.

She whispered the password to the Gryffindor common room, and let them in, telling them to listen at Rawlings' door, and listen for anything suspicious.

At first she wondered if Rawlings would have put up charms for privacy, but it turned out that she had been certain that everyone would be at dinner, and hadn't bothered. Hermione realized that this was an example of the mistakes Rawlings made.

The aurors seemed confused as to what would be considered "suspicious" but accepted.

Half an hour later, they were still standing at the door, although they were shooting daggers at her with their eyes now.. They were questioning the sanity of Hermione Granger. Why was she making them listen to two women talk about their days?

Five minutes later, it seemed their patience had run out, because they bid Hermione goodbye, and left her standing there, ear still pressed firmly against the door.

_Thursday April 12 (next day)_

Hermione mainly took advanced classes, although it wasn't uncommon for her to sit in with the regular class if she had the time. That was why she was sitting in Transfiguration for the second time that day, and why she was there to witness Rawlings give Ron detention.

Ron and Rawlings, alone, for hours. Hermione couldn't stop her mind from thinking of the millions of things that could happen in such a situation.

Rawlings was crazy, Hermione was sure of it (although at the moment, Hermione really wasn't in a position to judge the craziness of another person), and Ron would be stuck with her.

"... and that is why it is impossible to transfigure an non-edible object into an edible one." Rawlings finished, her voice monotonous as usual. Hermione looked around the room, hiding a yawn behind her hand. She could see many of the girls stifling yawns too. The boys on the other hand couldn't stop staring at the young teacher. Hermione scoffed. If they knew the truth about Rawlings, she was sure they wouldn't be acting that way.

Ron's detention was scheduled for tonight at eight. Hermione was glad for that, as it meant she could use McGonagall's office while the older lady was still at dinner.

By the time dinner rolled around, Hermione was itching to get Rawlings caught. After eating a few bites, Hermione scampered out of the Great Hall.

It happened much as it had the day before, but only two aurors were sent, and it took them ten minutes - much longer than the ten seconds she knew it could have taken them.

They arrived at the Transfiguration classroom just as the clock struck eight. Out of breath and panting, Hermione pushed open the room, searching for something to show them, and coming up empty.

"Why are you wasting our time?" one auror complained, looking irritated beyond belief. "There is nothing to look at but a boy scrubbing the tables."

"She's wasting our time, Aaron." the other said, gruffly. "You, girl, it is a criminal offense to joke around with aurors, and we do not appreciate it. In fact, I'm filing a complaint about you when I get back to the ministry. Be glad you're a war heroine, or you would be getting arrested right about now."

Hermione nodded vaguely, trying not to break down and start crying right then, right there.

What had gotten into her? This plan had been bound to fail. There was no proof that Rawlings had actually been planning something. Hermione shook her head. She was going crazy! Why was she so obsessed with this?

By this time, the aurors had gone, and Ron was walking up to her.

"Hermione, you alright? What happened?" he asked stiffly.

She nodded vaguely, again, an idea popping into her head. She turned. Then began running in the direction of the dungeons. "Bye Ron!" she yelled over her shoulder, leaving a very confused and slightly offended Ronald Weasley behind her.

She needed to talk with Severus, now!

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><p>bAN Yes, I know that was pretty boring, so thank you for reading it, haha! I promise that the next chapter will have Severus and Hermione in it!

**By the way, thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited, and story alerted this story! They all made me smile! Thanks again!**

**Please Review! :D**


	27. Part XXVII

_Thursday April 12 (same day)_

Hermione rushed through the corridors, focusing all of her attention on her destination, and not paying attention to the protests of the many people she pushed aside. Her mind was completely blank - a highly unusual occurrence for Hermione - except for the knowledge that she had to get to Severus soon.

She ducked into the passage that ran beside the main corridor to the Slytherin Common Room, and sprinted the rest of the way to his rooms.

"Severus, Severus, please..." she muttered, juggling the doorknob. It seemed that he had fixed the enchantments around the room, meaning she couldn't get in unless he was there too. Hermione assumed he was still eating, or at least still in the Great Hall. Why was he never there when he needed to talk to him? She resorted to frantic pacing, chewing her lip.

"Hermione?" Severus' voice filled the hallway, and echoed around her. Hermione spun on her heel (she had been facing away from him) and nearly tackled him. She tugged at his arm and pointed at the door, unable to focus long enough to articulate words.

His brow furrowed with worry as he murmured the counter-charm to his wards.

She ran in, looking for all intents and purposes as if she were possessed - or crazy - and sat on the couch, in her usual spot. Hermione seemed to rethink that choice, stood up abruptly, and began pacing again.

By the time she passed him for the third time, Severus couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed her by the hand. She shot him a glare, and it went to show just how in control of his emotions he was that he didn't flinch.

In his most soothing voice, he tried to calm her.

"It's okay, Hermione. Shh. That's it, calm down."

If he could, he would have kicked himself. Even he - woman deprived as he was - knew that telling an agitated woman to calm down would do just the opposite.

She glared at him for a few tense moments, then snatched her hand away, and resumed her pacing. Severus decided that he would wait for her to calm down, rather than risk worsening her mood.

It took a good twenty minutes, but Hermione eventually sat down, although she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Hermione," Severus began, raising his hands as if to say 'I surrender', and slowly walked towards her. "are you okay?"

"What are you on about?"

He raised two disbelieving eyebrows at her.

Hermione's cheeks coloured slightly. "Sorry." she muttered looking down at her hands - which she didn't seem to be able to stop wringing.

Severus - sensing that it was alright to - sat down beside her. He waited for her to explain herself, as he couldn't trust himself not to say something hurtful at the moment. She had awoken a side of him that he hadn't known existed. It was like a lion - not that he was comparing himself to a Gryffindor -, quiet and sneaky, but deadly when irritated or provoked. Severus was definitely irritated.

She continued playing with her fingers, unable to stop.

"Well...?" he asked tensely.

She jerked, as if startled by the sound of his voice (which was completely unreasonable, seeing as she was in his rooms).

"I don't really know why I'm here." she said, not moving her gaze from her fingers once "I needed to talk to you."

"So talk!" he didn't mean to make that sound so curt, but it was his honest reaction. If she had come to talk, why did it seem that she was doing anything but that?

"I've gone crazy!" she suddenly exclaimed, and it was his turn to flinch. Well, almost.

He tried to make his next words sound as pleasant and helpful as he could "What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, I can't stop thinking."

"You've always been like that, it is hardly a reason to worry." whoops, that didn't sound very nice, although he had meant it as a sort of compliment.

"it's not about schoolwork though!" she exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair in a way that made the already unruly hair seem even bigger and bushier. "I can't stop myself from thinking of ways to hurt Rawlings! Its all I can do to stop myself from tearing her apart limb from limb when I'm near her." she was pulling on her hair now, threatening to rip it out of her head by the roots.

Although he was shocked to hear Hermione Granger - polite, well-mannered Gryffindor - say such things, his first priority was to stop her from hurting herself.

He grabbed her by the arms as gently as he could. He had planned to hold her arms away from her until she calmed down again, but quickly realized that it was an awkward and uncomfortable way to sit for what could quite possibly be a very long time. Without thinking about it, he pulled her closer, and wrapped his arms around her, releasing her hands from his grasp. She pulled her arms into her chest, in between their bodies, but soon after spread them around him underneath his robes and on top of the shirt he was wearing underneath.

She hugged him tighter and pulled at the back of his shirt. It took him a moment to realize that Hermione was still moving her fingers, the cause of the movement on his back.

"Stop fidgeting Hermione" he said, five minutes later. She was starting to tickle his back, and it wasn't pleasant.

"I-I can't." he voice was muffled by his robes.

"Sure you can, you're Hermione Granger!" he said sincerely. She lifted her head to look into his eyes, and smiled faintly.

He hadn't intended to compliment her, but it had been one anyway. He wasn't doing it to please her, it was his opinion. She hadn't been exposed to - or even aware of magic - until she was eleven, yet she managed to be the brightest witch of her age. She managed to constantly get top marks in a class where the professor hated her (up until recently). She had helped Harry Potter defeat a Dark wizard. She was extraordinary and he wouldn't let her say otherwise. "Just take a deep breath, and focus on stopping your hands from shaking so much."

She followed his instructions, and he felt her hands stop.

"There, see? That wasn't so hard?" Severus hated acting as if she were five, but knew that she was in a delicate mood, and he had to be gentle with her.

He could feel her shaking before he heard her sobs. What could it be now? He was beginning to feel exasperated at her almost childish behaviour.

"Deep breaths Hermione." he encouraged.

A few shaky breaths later, he felt her relax.

"Mmphggh" she mumbled into his shirt.

Severus pushed her - gently - away from him. "Repeat that for me?"

"I said that I hate Rawlings."

"Alright. Why?"

"She made my last year at school a living hell, and I feel like she deserves to feel the same way."

"An-"

"All I know - or think about - is that the sooner she gets taken to Azkaban or punished for everything she's done, she will feel the way I've been feeling for months now. Alone."

"I see."

"Does that make me a bad person?" she asked timidly, playing with the collar of his shirt, momentarily distracting Severus.

"N-no. It's normal to want to get revenge or to want to give someone who caused you hurt a taste of their own medicine."

"Oh."

"I thought you wanted to settle this in a calm, Gryffindor-like way, without Azkaban." he said, recalling her words from a few days ago.

"I did. But then she slipped my Headmistress a potion, and that crossed the line."

Severus thought about that for a minute, but was shaken from that by the feel of Hermione's lips on his neck. She passed over a sensitive spot, forcing a small shiver from Severus. She pulled at his robes, bringing herself closer. One part of Severus' mind was telling him to encourage her, to help her by tilting his head; but the other, more rational part of his brain told him to stop her.

"Her-Hermione!" his voice wavered a bit when she bit down on his neck.

She removed her lips from his collarbone, and looked up questioningly. "Yes?"

"Stop. I have the feeling that you weren't done talking."

"But-"

"Please." his voice sounded strained, even to his own ears. He chalked it up to the fact that Hermione was sitting on his lap, and looking at him in a very suggestive way.

She thought about it for a few seconds, and then seemed to realize just where she was. Her cheeks turned red, and she moved away from - and off of - him.

"Why did you need the password to Minerva's office?" he asked, just now remembering that she had asked about it.

Hermione explained everything that had occurred in the past two days, all the while staring at her hands. He noticed that she had gone back to twiddling her fingers, and grasped her hands.

She continued her story, telling him about earlier that evening.

"... and he said that he would file a report about me! Me! If he is telling the truth, the Ministry will never listen to anything I say again!"

She ranted for at least an hour, bursting into tears a few times, then, exhausted, she fell into Severus' outreached arms. He rubbed soothing circles into her back.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"Whatever for?"

"Listening to me. Not telling me that I'm crazy." She let out a little laugh.

"I'm just wondering, what was that little... meltdown you had?"

"I don't know. I've had them in moments of stress since I can remember. Harry and Ron avoid me around exam time for that very reason."

"I see. Are you alright now?"

"Yes, talking about it definitely helped."

"Well then, I have an idea." a mischievous smirk spread across his face. Severus pulled her up to his level, and kissed Hermione. It must have taken her by surprise, because Hermione didn't respond for a good three seconds. Then, all of a sudden, she was kissing back. Her arms slid around him again, and she pushed her fingers through his thick, silky hair. Severus shifted her so that she was sitting on his lap again, and was so preoccupied that he was startled by her gentle push. His back pressed into the back of the couch, and Hermione resumed their kiss. She straddled his lap, surprising Severus with her courage, and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, there was a high-pitched screech.

Hermione jumped in surprise, while Severus cursed his need for tea before bed. He got up from the couch, looking at Hermione sheepishly, and nearly ran to the kitchen. After pouring the boiling water from the kettle down the drain, he walked - ran - back to Hermione.

"Where are you going?" he asked, out of breath, noticing that she was standing.

"It's past midnight, I think I should leave before someone reports me to McGo-Rawlings." she spit the name out as if it pained her to say it otherwise.

Severus was surprised. Midnight? "Alright, I don't want you to get in trouble, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow?" He was about to lift his hand up to run it through his hair, but stopped to avoid looking like an awkward teenager.

"Thank you again." she whispered. Hermione stood on her tip-toes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and then turned and left - effectively hiding her blush.

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><p><strong>AN Hey! I'm sorry if the ending of this chapter was a bit abrupt...**

**Please review!**


	28. Part XXVIII

_Friday April 13th_

Severus watched McGonagall throughout breakfast, trying to find clues that would help him figure out which potion was being used. He had decided earlier that the she was being dosed at breakfast, so Severus _accio'd_ her half-empty goblet from in front of her. It seemed that the Headmistress didn't even notice, which was strange. He noticed movement in his peripheral vision, and turned to see Rawlings glaring at him. Severus shrugged, and was saved from further questioning or accusations by none other than McGonagall.

"Students!" Severus wondered if he was the only one who heard the slight tremor in her voice. "Today is - not - is... a. Officially. A free day. No - no! no! - classes after noon."

There were whoops and cheers at that statement, although many students were staring at McGonagall as if she had sprouted another head because of the strange way she had spoken. Rawlings was looking worried, and Severus figured it out. It fit with some of McGonagall's recent behaviour. It had to be a double personality potion! That was great, because the antidote was so easy.

Severus noticed that the students were getting up to get ready for class, and stood up as well, determined to speak to Hermione.

All of a sudden, there was a yell, and a thud.

Severus turned his head to see McGonagall sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

"Nothing to see here!" he yelled to the students gathering around her "Get to class or it's 50 points off for each of you. Not you H-Miss Granger!"

The students left the Great Hall, whispering and debating what had happened to McGonagall, but Severus' mind was on another track.

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><p>Hermione got up that morning feeling miserable. She hadn't been able to sleep for very long after getting back from Severus', and felt like her bones were made of jelly, but were heavier than a bag of bricks. Immediately after getting up, one of her arms swung around and knocked a picture frame off of her bedside table. It was one of Harry and Ron. Hermione placed it back where it had originally been, and scooped up some clothes. She walked into the bathroom, and was surprised to see a crack in the mirror above the sink. Not sparing it another thought, Hermione muttered a <em>reparo<em>. She got dressed, went through her morning routine, and set off to the Great Hall for an early - very, very early - breakfast.

Hermione's mind wandered again, and she desperately tried to think of things other than Rawlings. She didn't succeed. It wasn't until she almost tripped over a cat that she managed to do it.

"I'm sorry, cat." she whispered.

"Mroww" was all she got in response. It was a beautiful cat, sleek black fur and striking green eyes. Hermione was slightly reluctant to pet it, because this cat was so unlike Crookshanks, but when she did, she was glad. The fur was just as soft, if not softer than she had imagined!

A few minutes later, the black cat wandered away, and Hermione continued on her way to the Great hall.

Soon after, she was sitting in her regular seat, buttering a piece of toast. As she moved her hand to place the bread on her plate, she knocked over a salt shaker, spilling some on the table. Hermione quickly cleaned it up.

Now, students were arriving more steadily, until the Great Hall was full.

Near the end of the meal, Professor McGonagall made an announcement, which Hermione barely heard over the sound of whispers at her strange behaviour. There were loud whoops, and everyone started getting up. Hermione's head whipped around to the front when there was a yell, and saw McGonagall on the ground. She wanted to get closer to investigate, telling herself that if what had just happened was Rawlings' fault, then... well...

Severus pulled her aside, wanting to tell her something.

"Hermione" he said. "I think I know what potion is being used on Minerva!"

"Really?" Hermione scrunched her face up, trying to see if she could come to the same conclusion as Severus.

"Double personality!" they said, at the same time. Severus was vaguely impressed that Hermione knew it, although he had come to expect above-and-beyond knowledge after years of being her professor.

"I need to go!" He told Hermione. "You do too! Classes run until noon today."

Hermione nodded, but made no move to leave. Severus did, and practically ran out of the Hall.

Hermione made her way down the hall, towards her first class, but was stopped by a voice saying _"Petificus totalus"_

She felt arms around her, and was lifted off of the ground easily (with the help of a featherweight charm). A few turns later, they were in a dark hallway, and Rawlings dropped her.

"Hermione. Granger. I hate you." she announced.

Hermione frowned - or tried to, as the body-bind was still in place.

"I hate you. First of all, you come waltzing in here, a first year mudblood, and are named "brightest witch of our age", a title I had held during my Hogwarts years. But whatever, I'd forgive you for that. But then, I ask Ronald to the Yule Ball, back in sixth year - well, your fourth year - and he says he's going with you! You made me sit around and watch him fall for you, all the while not knowing you were doing it. But then, in M-Malfoy Manor, it was _your fault_ that he was tortured. If you had just told that crazy lady with the big hair... Bella? the truth, you wouldn't have been tortured, and they wouldn't have been taken away. If they had never been taken away, Ronald would never have tried to fight the guards - such a brave thing to do, don't you think? - and they never would have tortured him in front of us. He was bleeding, and then healed, and then bleeding again. He couldn't scream any longer and it was _all your fault._"

Hermione stared at Rawlings in shock.

"That's why I started rumors about you that made everyone hate you. Because you made me feel that lonely at Hogwarts. It's why I made Potter and Ron be mean to you while under the Imperius, so that you could see how it feels to have your spirit crushed by the one you love. It's why I'm going to hurt you now, so that you can feel the pain Ron did, the pain that I felt - that I feel now - watching you and Ron."

Rawlings let out a cackle, and waved her wand.

The last thing Hermione thought before feeling excruciating pain was the thought _"Friday the thirteenth really is unlucky!"_

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><p><em>Meanwhilea bit earlier:  
><em>

Severus arrived at his classroom, and scowled at the first years talking and whispering amongst themselves. He almost laughed at their frightened expressions and the way they immediately fell silent.

He gave them their instructions for the lesson, and sat down to grade some essays that he hadn't finished yesterday.

Some time later, his wrist started throbbing uncomfortably, and he rubbed it absentmindedly, until he realized it was the one with the bracelet/tattoo on it. If it was making him feel uncomfortable, was Hermione in trouble? Millions of possibilities ran through his mind, most of which were more graphic than he really wanted. All of them included Hermione being hurt, and he couldn't take it.

"I have to leave!" he announced to the class "You are to finish your potions, bottle, and place them on my desk. If I hear of one person misbehaving, it is detention, a "T" for the week and a note to your parents for all of you."

He turned and left.

One simple, yet powerful locating spell later, he was arriving in a dark-ish corridor, alight with different spells. There was Hermione, on the floor. There was Rawlings, caught in the middle of all of those spells, and there were the... 's officials?

He remembered that Filius had told everyone that she would call for 's to come and check on McGonagall, as Pomfrey was out at the moment, but it didn't explain the scenario in front of him.

One of the healers was reviving Hermione, who was covered in bruises and - gulp - blood?

They carried Hermione off in the direction of the hospital wing, and Rawlings was taken away towards McGonagall's office, probably because it had the only floo that could be used at any time.

Some time later, he learned that the 's healers had heard Rawlings yelling, and had come to investigate, just in time to hear her admit to using the Imperius and admit to doing things to hurt a student. She would be taken to court, but it was more than likely that she would be sent to Azkaban.

Hermione, on the other hand, was suffering from blood loss, and a few broken bones - two things that could, thankfully, be healed very easily.

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><p><strong>AN I hope that chapter made sense... :D**

**Alright, so, what did you think of this? It's not exactly the end, because I think there will be a chapter or two after this, but the end is in sight!**


	29. Part XXIX

**A/N Hey! I'm sorry that it's been a while, but I haven't gotten much time to write recently, and have been having a bit of writer's block for this story. I hope this isn't absolute crap... LOL**

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><p>All she could remember was excruciating pain, maniacal laughter, and then black. Darkness. Empty.<p>

Darkness was all she could see, right now - even though her eyes weren't open, couldn't open -, though she felt more... awake, more aware then she had before. It seemed that she could hear people speaking, and, if she concentrated hard enough, she could make out the conversations going on around her.

"...blood replenishing potion?" that was definitely Madam Pomfrey.

"I have some in my stores" said a voice that was even easier to recognize, Severus.

"I had to use an entire bottle of Skele-Gro! It is absolutely absurd that they expect her to go to the trial so soon, for there to even _be_ a trial! She is lucky that those St. Mungo's healers found her when they did. What were you doing there anyway?" she sounded a bit suspicious, which served to enrage Hermione. Hadn't Severus proved himself time and time again?

She felt a wave of dizziness, even though she wasn't standing or moving, and the black crawled back, stopping all of her thoughts immediately.

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><p>When she once again came out of the darkness enough to listen, there was silence, except for someone moaning... a voice called out "Poppy, p-pain is coming b-b-back" the voice was so miserable that it was virtually unrecognizable, and the fact that Hermione was half asleep didn't help matters.<p>

"Minerva, you'll be alright, calm down, here, drink this."

Hermione nearly passed out again from shock. McGonagall was here? Why?

The moans subsided, and Hermione deduced that Madam Pomfrey had either given her some Dreamless sleep potion, or some Pain Diminishing one. She then figured that if she could come to a conclusion about the medication the nurse was giving her Headmistress so quickly, it was time to open her eyes.

More black met her eyes, but it wasn't only in her head now. It was night-time, maybe past midnight, and there weren't any sounds in the infirmary other than the sound of Professor McGonagall's breathing.

Hermione blinked, and her mind whirled away, trying to put together the pieces of information she knew so that she could make sense of this situation.

She knew that there was apparently going to be a trial. When she had heard Pomfrey and Severus discussing it earlier, she had immediately assumed that she was the one that would have to appear in court, but after making the discovery that McGonagall was here as well, Hermione decided it was equally as likely that Minerva would be the one required to appear at the trial.

The door to the Infirmary opened, spilling some of the light from the corridor into the darkened room. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to regulate her breathing, as she didn't feel like speaking to Pomfrey about how she was feeling at the moment. It didn't work, and she opened her eyes again.

"Madam," she cleared her throat "Madam Pomfrey?"

"No, It's Professor Snape." his voice came from Madam Pomfrey's desk, and it sounded as if he were placing a bag on it.

"Sever-I mean, Professor, what are you doing here?" she remembered at the last second that McGonagall could be listening in.

"Delivering potions to Madam Pomfrey, if you must know. How are you feeling?" Hermione grinned in the dark. He couldn't keep his act up because he was worried!

"Alright, I don't feel like getting up, and I expect I will be dizzy when I do, but otherwise I'm alright."

"That means my potions are doing their job."

"Potions?"

"Yes. You had some broken bones and such, and we had to give you some pain medication. I expect it will wear off soon enough, and I don't think Poppy will administer another dose - you're fine now."

"Oh. Professor, what happened?"

"I can't explain that to you right now, you need your rest for the two trials on Wednesday, two days from now."

Hermione nodded, even though he had already left. His last few words sounded strange to Hermione, and when she figured out why, she gasped in shock.

"If Wednesday is two days from now, that means today is Monday, and I haven't woken up since... Friday!" she mumbled, shocked.

A few minutes later, in the dark of the room, Hermione began feeling drowsy again, and drifted back to sleep.

Two hours later found Hermione tossing and turning. Mild pain had woken her up, and she couldn't fall asleep again. The pain was manageable, but infuriating and annoying. Her muscles ached, and her left arm felt as if pins were sticking into it. Her leg had fallen asleep, and her brain felt fuzzy from all the movement going on around her.

It was morning, and Madam Pomfrey had decided that it was a good idea to let light in. Well, it certainly didn't help Hermione's pounding headache. Teachers were all buzzing around McGonagall, and occasionally Madam Pomfrey yelled something at them. Hermione wanted to pound her head in. they were bustling around with too much energy, they were making a lot of noise, and it was all making Hermione very irritable.

She tried putting the pillows that were under her head on her ears, but it did little to drown out the noise. A low growl escaped her lips, and the room fell silent. Up until now, she had been more or less hidden from the visitors' sight, and they immediately came over to fuss over her.

"-heard about how bad you were and figured they'd sent you to St. Mungo's" someone told her, but she couldn't keep track of all the faces in front of her, especially with them swirling around like that...

"...Were those her eyelashes fluttering?" asked a quiet voice.

"I think so." answered another.

Hermione summoned all of her strength and opened her eyes. "Harry, Ron." she greeted.

They nodded. They were sitting on two chairs on her left side.

The trio was still walking on eggshells around each other, but it made Hermione smile to know that Harry and Ron had come to support her anyway.

"'Mione, it's, um, it's nearly Wednesday." whispered Ron.

"You don't need to whisper Ronald, I'm fine. What do you mean _almost_ Wednesday?"

"Sorry, I thought you needed me to whisper. I heard you passed out from everyone crowding you before and figured-"

"The point, Ron?"

He smiled "It's ten at night, meaning it is almost midnight, which will be when Wednesday starts." he said.

"I've been out for longer than a day?" screeching hurt her sensitive throat, but Hermione felt it was necessary. "Why didn't anyone wake me?"

"We tried, Hermione. Everyone who was here on Monday is very sorry. They've all been banned from here." said Harry.

"It's good to know you two weren't banned!"

They all laughed.

"Where's McGonagall?" asked Hermione

"Madam Pomfrey released her from the infirmary, and she is now being held at the ministry." said Harry.

"Oh"

"So, 'Mione, back to business." started Ron. "Do you know that you have to attend both trials tomorrow?"

"Both? Why does Rawlings have two?"

"Not Rawlings, 'Mione. McGonagall."

Hermione paled.

"They couldn't find any potions in her system, so the ministry is making her go to trial for all she did." Harry said this.

"But... What do you mean _all she did?_"

"Well, first of all, she didn't conduct a very thorough background search on Rawlings, and let her be a Professor with a very basic degree." Ron said.

"She allowed Rawlings to threaten you and attempt to hurt you under her nose, didn't punish her for slipping the potion into your drink..." Harry continued.

"How do you know all of these things?" asked Hermione, who, up until now, didn't think that Ron or Harry knew all of this was going on.

"It was in the paper." explained Ron.

"Oh."

"We know it's going to be hard to face Rawlings again, but you need to testify against her, she needs to be taken away." Harry exclaimed.

Ron nodded "She had us under the Imperius curse for months - which, now that I think about it, the Ministry should have known about. - who knows how many others she did the same to."

"Are they asking you two to appear at the trial?"

"Yes, at both" they answered at the same time.

"Harry, Ron, tell me what happened on Friday."

"Well," said Harry "according to everything we've heard so far, Rawlings was very skilled at altering spells. She used a Cruciatus curse with a twist on you, which is why you're in such bad shape nearly a week later, even though she only held it on you for a bit."

"You know how the St. Mungo's healers were here to take McGonagall away, as Pomfrey isn't really skilled with mental illnesses, and everyone thought McGonagall had gone mad...? They heard Rawlings, and followed the screams - the idiot didn't put up strong enough, or maybe any, silencing charms- until they found you two. They stupefied Rawlings, and took her to St. Mungo's for a check up, to see if she was in her right mind or maybe under the influence of a potion or alcohol." said Ron.

"Because she was so important, and McGonagall was already coming to, they decided to leave McGonagall in the infirmary and to take Rawlings away immediately." said Harry

"A few days later, they announced that there would be a trial, and when Pomfrey informed them that they hadn't been able to find any Potion remnants in McGonagall's blood, it was determined that there would also be a trial for her." said Ron.

"Wow. Hey, who_ is_ Rawlings?" Hermione asked

"She is the daughter of two squibs." answered Harry.

"She told me that she was pure-blooded!"

"Well, technically she was. Both squibs came from Pure-blooded families." Ron said.

"Were you two tortured that night at Malfoy Manor?" asked Hermione.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. When they turned back to her, Ron's eyes seemed full of pain, and Harry seemed guilty.

"They took us aside, for just five minutes, and ordered Harry to do the Cruciatus on me." rasped Ron.

"I, of course, refused, so they Imperiused me and made me do it." Harry whispered.

"Seems like an awful lot of work to go through to do something that the Death Eater himself could have done." Hermione said, quietly.

"Th-They wanted it to hurt more, and it did, coming from a friend." said Ron. "Before he cast it, I thought that I saw a window, with a figure pressed up against the glass, someone forcing him or her to watch Harry torture me. It was separated from the dungeons where they had put me, Harry, Luna, and Mr. Olivander. I still wonder sometimes, who was it?"

"Rawlings." whispered Hermione. "Harry, Ron, is Rawlings any way related to the Blacks or the Lestranges?"

"I think... I think Rawlings' paternal grandfather was Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange's uncle." Harry answered.

"So they wanted to make her go mad!"

"Er, Hermione, we don't get it." said Ron.

Hermione told them everything that Rawlings had screamed at her in the corridor. Ron's eyes widened when he heard that Harry torturing him had forced Rawlings to mark Hermione as a target.

When she was done, she slumped down on her pillow, and Harry took the hint.

"Come on Ron," he urged "we need to let Hermione get some rest before tomorrow."

They left, and Hermione drifted off to sleep once again.

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><p><strong>AN Once again, I'm sorry for the loong wait :)**

**I hope this chapter makes sense... and if it doesn't, let me know and I'll try to change it to make it better.  
><strong>

**Please review!**

**ps. Although I don't think there will be as long a wait between this chapter and the next, don't be surprised if there is..**


	30. Part XXX

**A/N Here is the next chapter!**

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><p>Hermione was shaken from her fairly pleasant dreams by a practiced hand. Madam Pomfrey began speaking the moment Hermione's eyes were open, and Hermione could barely catch everything. Some of her robes were on the empty cot beside her, and Madam Pomfrey told her that they were what she was to wear for the trials.<p>

The first trial was to begin at nine, and everyone from Hogwarts who had been summoned to attend was leaving the castle by floo at eight thirty. Madam Pomfrey had woken Hermione up just after eight. This meant that Hermione had little time to get dressed, wash up, and eat some breakfast. Her ankles throbbed, as Madam Pomfrey refused to give Hermione any more potions to reduce the pain. She hobbled down the hallway alone, because Madam Pomfrey had needed to help a second year whose face had turned a nasty shade of purple after eating a stale Weasley Wizard Wheezes product.

She stumbled on something, possibly her own foot, and nearly fell over, unable to support her full weight on one foot. Someone caught her. When she gasped in surprise, she inhaled the familiar smell of Severus. She made a mental note to ask him why he had been waiting in the shadows instead of already at the Headmistress' office.

To confirm her guess – as she still hadn't looked properly at him, he whispered "Hermione, don't scare me like that! Someone could see!"

She nearly laughed at how childish his words sounded. It was even funnier that the one of the strictest, meanest Professors in Hogwarts had said it.

"Sorry, professor."

"Normally, I'd take points off for that – scaring me – but because you are currently in a state where you can't help it, I'll let it slide."

`Yes, Severus." Hermione mocked the way some students spoke to Severus; monotonously, emotionlessly, and ending each sentence with "yes, sir" or "no, professor". He cracked a smile at that, and then raised his eyebrows.

"They're leaving in five minutes, hurry up!" he urged.

"I can't, I'm sorry. My ankles are killing m-whoaa!" before she could finish her sentence, he had picked her up under her shoulders and knees, and was carrying her – at a much quicker pace than she had been going - towards the Headmistress' office, where the only functional floo was.

The walk was short, but Hermione took the time to snuggle into his soft robes. They reminded her of the blankie she had carried around all the time when she was younger. She wriggled as his hands moved to grip her better, as they were now touching a ticklish spot. She giggled. Severus looked down at her, and asked what was so funny.

"You're tickling me" was all she said.

He apologized, and moved his hand.

When he stopped, she was set down on the floor carefully.

"Trial at the ministry." He told the gargoyles, and they let Hermione and him in.

They had arrived right at the requested time, and Hermione was pleased to see that Harry and Ron hadn't made it yet. Actually, there wasn't anyone in the room, as McGonagall was already at the ministry, as was Rawlings. Severus was going to the ministry to speak at McGonagall's hearing. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were all being asked to speak at both trials. No one else from Hogwarts was going.

"Hermione, were you aware that, if Minerva's trial doesn't go well, I'll have to take over as Headmaster?"

She gasped, she hadn't been aware. During the war, when Severus had briefly been appointed Headmaster, she had thought that it was only because the Death Eaters were in power. Now, with the war over, Hermione wondered why McGonagall had made Severus the deputy Headmaster.

"Good luck, Hermione. I probably won't get a chance to speak with you again until this is all over, but good luck. I know how much Rawlings has made you suffer in the past year, and how much you want for all this to be over."

Hermione stood on her tip-toes and placed a kiss of gratitude for his support on his lips. She wobbled, as her ankles weren't very steady, so Severus pulled her into a hug to steady her.

They heard the creaking of the spiral stairs, and Hermione gingerly pulled away from Severus. He walked over to the fireplace and put on a convincing "tired of waiting" look.

When Harry and Ron burst in, Severus immediately told them, "You're late, Misters Potter and Weasley. Ten minutes late! We'll miss the hearings if you continue slowing us down like this."

They looked embarrassed, and Severus relented. "Who is going first?" he asked.

The trio exchanged looks, and Hermione offered to go. Severus immediately refused, saying that her ankles would give at the other end of the floo, and that she needed someone there to catch her. Harry and Ron both offered, and after a good five minutes of arguing, Ron went first, then Harry, Hermione, and Severus.

True to his predictions, Hermione nearly did fall over on the ministry side of their floo, but with both Harry and Ron to catch her, she was fine.

They walked through the ministry, attracting attention from many witches and wizards, but they kept their heads low. They got into the elevator with about five other people - it appeared to be a busy morning at the ministry.

After being jerked around for a few minutes, they reached their stop. After clambering out, they walked down a hallway, and pulled open the heavy door. It was a sort of waiting room, where McGonagall was pacing, and muttering nervously. Two aurors were standing guard at the door, and two more were in the room, their wands pointed at McGonagall, just in case.

Severus was ordered to stay in the room, and that they would let him into the room where the trials would be held if he was called for. Hermione, Ron, and Harry were allowed to pass through a door opposite the one where they entered.

Harry gasped in recognition, probably having seen it in one of Dumbledore's memories, or maybe because it was the very room where his hearing had been.

They made their way around the circular room, looking for the seats with their names on them.

The room was shaped like a stadium, and it was massive! Hermione wondered if all of the seats would be filled, or if the room would only be half-full.

There was a chair in the middle of the flat, oval-shaped area, that was two levels lower than their seats, and Hermione wondered if chains were going to shoot out of it and trap Rawlings to the chair, like she had read about in books.

Hermione then wondered where Rawlings was. She fervently hoped that the trial would go smoothly and quickly.

Doors opened again, doors that had gone unnoticed by Hermione, as they weren't the ones she, Harry, and Ron had used.

"Back-to-back trials at nine in the morning. Why, in the name of Merlin, couldn't it have waited a few hours? I'm tired. I swear, 'm just going to stick whoever it is into Azkaban and be done with it. To hell with ministry regula-Oh, hello! I didn't see you three there. I hope you're ready, because the trial's starting momentarily.

He was right, because, not seconds later, people began walking in and taking their seats. Their robes told Harry, Hermione, and Ron that they were members of the Wizengamot.

"There aren't as many as there were for my hearing" muttered Harry. "And I don't know who _that _man is."

Harry nodded towards the guy who had walked in first, the one who had said something about "just sticking whoever it is in Azkaban". He seemed to be the one going to lead the trial, and Hermione wondered who he was, and how he got to be Chief Warlock.

Somewhere, a clock struck nine, and the man announced. "This is the trial of the 18 of April in offenses committed by Amelia Holly Renee Rawlings..."

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><p><strong>AN Next chapter will be Rawlings' trial, and it will be up soon, because it is the continuation of this and I don't want to keep anyone waiting... :0  
><strong>

**Review?**


	31. Part XXXI

_Somewhere, a clock struck nine, and the man announced. "This is the trial of the 18 of April in offenses committed by Amelia Holly Renee Rawlings..._ I am interrogator David Cole Miller." There was commotion at the door (not the one that Hermione, Harry, and Ron had used.) as Rawlings was being let it. Five aurors were needed to push her into the chair, and she didn't stop struggling, not even when the chains bound her to it. The dim light that was cast down on Rawlings made her look even angrier.

The high of seats on which the members of the Wizengamot were sitting on were probably looking very intimidating to her.

Two dozen or so wizards and witches clothed in plum robes looked down on Rawlings. They seemed tired and bored. Hermione nearly screamed in outrage. How could they fill this entire hall with Harry's minor offence (he used magic in front of a muggle, big deal. The muggle already knew about magic, and was about to get his soul sucked out) and then fill about a quarter of the hall and allow themselves to look _bored_ at the trial of a former teacher about said teacher harassing her students?

And who was this man who had taken the place of Chief Warlock after Dumbledore was murdered? Actually, this wasn't him. The man who had taken care of all Wizengamot events had appeared in the Daily Prophet a few times after sending some death eaters to Azkaban, and this man wasn't him. Hermione vaguely wondered where that other man, Arden Wiske Jonnard, was.

"... administer the Veritaserum."

The guards managed to do it without spilling a drop. The Chief Warlock waited a few seconds for the potion to start working before asking the first question.

"Madam, what is your full name?"

"Amelia Holly Renee Rawlings" she answered, hesitating slightly. It was obvious that she had wanted to try to outsmart the Veritaserum, but had just found that it was impossible.

"Where have you worked in your life?"

"My first and only job was at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Thank you. Ms. Hermione Jane Granger, your statement?"

Hermione's heart thumped madly, and she cleared her throat twice before speaking.

"Er, on Monday, Rawlin-Amelia preformed an altered version of the Cruciatus on me, nearly killing me. Right before that, she admitted to using the Imperius curse on Harry and Ron, just to make my life worse."

"You may sit down now. Mister Harry James Potter, Mister Ronald Billius Weasley, do you both confirm Miss Granger's statement?" They nodded quickly.

Hermione found it strange that this new Chief Warlock guy wasn't asking her for reasons as to why Rawlings wanted to make her life miserable.

"Miss Rawlings, how did you Imperiuse Misters Potter and Weasley?"

"As my dormitories – I was head of Gryffindor House – were in the Gryffindor tower, I woke up early every morning, and cast the spell from my bed. Throughout the day, they sometimes went out of range, but that was okay because they acted normally and avoided suspicion. At night, I lifted it after I was sure they were asleep. As time went on, I could do it from a farther range, and that was when the Granger girl figured it out."

"Thank you."

Someone opened the door to what Hermione had named "the holding tank". They walked up to the David man. A few whispered words later, David nodded.

Harry muttered something under his breath about it being rude to interrupt a trial.

Two aurors brought McGonagall out.

"Yes?" asked the Chief Warlock in a very informal way.

"I just wanted to say that she," here McGonagall pointed to Rawlings "poisoned me!"

"I am sorry to inform you that I can't take your word for it for two reasons." He moved some papers that were in front of him around. They sounds of rustling paper echoed around the room. Everyone's eyes were on David. "First of all, there was no poison or any kind of potion in your bloodstream. Second, you are also a suspect, and therefore an unreliable source.

The aurors began leading McGonagall back to the holding tank. All of a sudden, tremors ran through McGonagall. She ripped her arms from the aurors and dodged their spells as if she were a nimble teenager. Rawlings took that time to try and wriggle out of the chair.

Ron screamed for the aurors to focus on Rawlings, and thankfully, they did. McGonagall was now slumped on the floor. The aurors carried her away.

"What was that?" screamed David. "I order you to answer that."

"I ordered her to distract you." admitted Rawlings, through gritted teeth.

"Do you admit to using a potion or poison to gain control of her?"

"No."

"Then...? What was that?"

"I put a spell into her tea."

"A... spell?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Well, I took a cat that I had found, and cast the Imperius on it. I transfigured it into a cup of tea, and ta-da, drinkable curse!"

Hermione grimaced; McGonagall had accepted tea that was really transfigured cat?

"I think it is obvious where you are going now, madam. It is, in fact illegal to tamper with spells, as you did with the Cruciatus; to practice spells on animals, especially on animals that may be a student's familiar. It's animal cruelty, you know? It is also illegal to cast the Cruciatus and the Imperius, as you apparently did multiple times. I will alert the ministry to your actions, and question as to why we weren't alerted to your frequent use of the illegal curses."

"All in favour of sending Miss Amelia Holly Renee Rawlings to Azkaban for life for the aforementioned reasons?" he asked lazily.

Everyone raised their hands.

"Well, the choice is unanimous."

The five guards that had escorted Rawlings here were back, and dragging her away. Hermione presumed that they were going to snap her wand, and take her to Azkaban. She let out a huge sigh, and slumped down. For a few seconds, Hermione had been worried that no one would vote her guilty, and it had taken a lot out of Hermione. Ron caught her.

"It's alright, 'Mione. She's gone. Thank Merlin!" Ron said.

"It's all over now, you can relax." Harry soothed.

"No, I can't! Now it's McGonagall's turn, and I don't want her to go to Azkaban. Didn't you hear that David idiot? He wants to stick whoever comes in here into Azkaban, end of story."

What Hermione didn't add was that if McGonagall was sent to Azkaban, not only would Hermione be devastated for the loss of one of her favourite Professors, but Severus would have more work to do, and wouldn't have any time for her!

Harry sighed, and rubbed her back gently. It was so nice having her friends back.

"You're right, Hermione. But we will do all that we can to help Professor McGonagall avoid Azkaban, I promise." said Harry.

"Yeah, 'Mione, and even if we can't, we'll be here for you."

Hermione smiled, straightened her back, and awaited the beginning of the next trial.

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><p><strong>AN Well, third update in a row... wow! Well, I'm going to tell you now that I probably won't get another chapter up before Monday.**

**Please review!**

**PS. I know this isn't how an actual hearing would go, but as I've never been to one, only watched TV and read, I think it's alright... sorry if it's not :)**

**LOL. Thanks for reading.**


	32. Part XXXII

Dave finished his conversation with one of the guards, and situated himself in his seat. As soon as everyone fell silent, he shuffled through his papers, seemed to glance over them, and announced, "This is the trial of the 18 of April in offenses committed by Minerva... McGonagall?"

The woman in question was led out of "the holding tank", and placed on the chair in the middle of the large room.

Dave Miller stared down at her, trying to conceal his shock.

"McGonagall? W-What are you doing here?" Dave tried to keep up his innocently shocked charade, but his hatred of the woman was clear to anyone who was paying attention.

She opened her mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it and closed her mouth again.

"Well," started the Chief Warlock "I, er, I guess I didn't read the notes thoroughly enough."

Hermione exchanged glances with Ron and Harry, both of which seemed to think Dave Miller was both crazy, and unworthy of his current position on the Wizengamot. Hermione wondered just how he had gotten to be chief Warlock, as he seemed unable to perform the simplest of jobs - reading the information about a trial.

He cleared his throat and Hermione shifted her attention back to Dave.

"Very well. M-Minerva McGonagall, what do you have to say in your defense?"

Hermione saw the disbelief in her Professor's eyes. What kind of an idiot was he? No one other than McGonagall, the trio from Hogwarts, and Dave Miller knew anything about the case, which meant he was supposed to present the facts _before_ asking questions.

"Well, I think that I was accused unfairly, as I was under the influence of a spell or potion. You know that, because Miss Rawlings admitted to it not ten minutes ago." she said, assuming her usual pursed-lip facial expression.

"Ah, yes. You're of course, right. Hmm, what about everything going on under your nose?"

"Excuse me? With _what_ going on under my nose?" There she was, the McGonagall everyone who attended Hogwarts knew.

"First off, you let a woman who wasn't qualified to be a teacher, teach your school." he said, seeming too scared to look anything more than meek.

"She was my student, and a very good one! After the war, no one wanted the job, other than Amelia, so I decided to give her it." McGonagall announced.

"You didn't perform a background check, she was much too young to teach!"

"I wouldn't have been able to do a check! Her family was murdered, her friends abandoned her, she was desperate to come home, to come back to Hogwarts. And _please!_ Too young to teach? She didn't do an amazing job, but it would have been worse if I had been forced to do both my Headmistress duties and be Transfiguration teacher."

"Professor, I apologize, but without some proof..."

There was suddenly a loud banging noise as the main door into the chamber opened. In stepped Rawlings, carrying five or six wands. Hermione, Harry, and Ron stood up and pulled their wands out, but she was too fast. She lifted Minerva McGonagall up with a basic _Wingardium Leviosa_, the power of all six wands helping her.

"I will drop her unless I am freed from my sentence!" she bellowed at Dave.

The man in question looked between Rawlings and McGonagall a few times, looked at Hermione, and ran. Hermione thought she caught a wink directed at Rawlings. Everyone else in the room followed. Hermione shook her head. There was an intelligence in Dave's eyes that she thought looked completely out of place. She looked at Rawlings, who in turn was looking gleeful. Hermione quickly whispered a _"now"_ to Harry and Ron.

After months of fighting together, they knew what she was thinking, and stunned Rawlings. Their powers combined were too much for the hastily conjured shield Rawlings had put up, and she toppled over. Hermione cast a quick cushioning charm underneath her Professor, knowing that once Rawlings' magic stopped - once she was stupefied -, the spell would end and let Minerva McGonagall fall to the floor. Hermione ran to her.

"Professor, are you alright?" she asked.

The woman didn't answer. Hermione looked on in horror as Minerva's eyelids began to slide shut, and as her breathing became shallower. All of a sudden, Severus burst through the door of the holding cell. He quickly assessed the room and turned to Minerva. He began casting diagnostic spells on his colleague, and saw that she had gone into shock. He murmured a few spells and placed a hand on her robe.

Before apparating to St. Mungo's, he told her, "Find the aurors that were supposed to be leading Rawlings to Azkaban. I'll be back in a bit."

After he left, Hermione stared at Harry and Ron, who looked just as shocked as she imagined she did.

"Let's go!" she declared.

The Golden Trio stepped out of the large room, and found themselves immediately surrounded by the aurors. Hermione couldn't tell if they were the same aurors from earlier, but their next words confirmed it.

"You three are coming with us." they said at the same time, sounding as if they had rehearsed the line.

Hermione stared at them disbelievingly, as she, Harry, and Ron moved around. They were now standing back to back, and had slipped their wands out without attracting the false-aurors' attention.

She nearly rolled her eyes, as they flexed their muscles in failed attempts to intimidate them. This time, Harry whispered the magic (or so to speak) words.

Almost simultaneously, the three of them cast some harmless hexes and charms. The aurors would be out cold, but would be available for questioning later on. She turned to Harry and Ron, and they nodded at each other. They went to Kingsley's office, cursing under their breaths as the elevator moved too slowly.

They knocked frantically, and waited. Harry knocked again. Nothing.

Hermione turned to look around the small entrance to the room, and saw that there was a lady - most likely a secretary of some sort - staring at them.

"You-you're Harry Potter's friend, aren't you?" she whispered.

Hermione nodded, wondering who exactly this woman was.

"I'm part of the secret ministry group. We're the SMG."

Hermione almost laughed at the stupid name.

"We're here to cover up the fact that during the war, our Minister of Magic was bitten."

"Bitten?"

"By a werewolf."

"So?"

"Yesterday was the full moon."

"How do I know I can believe you?" Hermione asked.

"Try me."

Hermione recognized the terminology from the days of the war, and knew the steps with which to fulfill her demands.

She pulled her wand out, and pointed it at the secretary. "Legilimens."

When Hermione emerged from the woman's head, there was no doubt in her mind that she was genuinely there to help. It was strange, but really, after accepting that magic existed, Hermione rarely questioned strange things.

Hermione connected it all now, and realized that it explained Dave being the Chief Warlock today. She nodded at the lady, not bothering to ask about her name. Hermione's mind was racing at a mile a minute, and then it all fell into place.

Rawlings wanted power, that much was obvious. She had obviously planned for this day, meaning she knew Kingsley was a werewolf, which was not a well-known fact. She had planned for Dave, who had to be working with her, to take his place, and allow her to break out of the faux-auror's holds. But... what would she gain from all of this? Hermione was perplexed, but pulled Harry and Ron away from the door, thinking and trying to make connections about Rawlings' behaviour. They apparated to Hogsmeade, and her friends looked at her with confusion.

She relayed all the information she had learned behind a charm, so that no one could overhear them.

Harry asked the question she had been pondering.

"Why? Why would she go to all this trouble. Why become a teacher at Hogwarts, plan to attack a student, break out of the Ministry? Why go through all this planning?"

"I think she wants to be the next Dark Lord." Confessed Ron, looking red. "I remember that sometimes, while Harry and I were being cursed, I would get these thoughts. They were definitely hers. Things like: Muggles will bow down to me, there will be magical beings all over the world shaking in fear when they hear my name." he shivered, and Hermione definitely agreed with Ron, it did sound like the mumblings and thoughts of a maniac-in-training.

"That still doesn't answer... why? Why Hogwarts?"

"Maybe she needed resources... Hogwarts has a lot of supplies that are hard to find elsewhere." Hermione was deep in thought, speaking more for her own benefit than to tell the others her ideas.

"What's she planning?"

Hermione suddenly ran down the street towards Hogwarts. Harry and Ron shared a glance, and took off behind her. By the time they actually made it up to the castle, they were panting.

They caught up to her on the stairs, where she had slowed down.

"Why are you going to the dungeons?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.

"Severus' potions ingredients. They're the most useful things that she could have taken! But..." and now Hermione paused. "We checked them a few days ago. She was not down here, she was in St. Mungo's, and then at the Ministry. How-"

"She's there now!" The trio yelled loudly.

"She has all the passwords and the means to get into the school. McGonagall hasn't been well enough to change any of the security measures around the castle!" Hermione felt like they were very close to finding the answer to the problem, and very close to finishing this all.

"How do you know all this?"

"Severus told me-I mean... Er."

"We'll talk later." Harry looked at her steadily, making a blush rise to her cheeks. She didn't want to tell them, they would hate her for falling for Severus.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."

They began walking at a more leisurely pace, though they looked out of place. The hallways were empty, as all the students were in class.

"She's had this planned for a while. She had the timing go perfectly. She attacked you, and then got sent to the Ministry. She had McGonagall involved with the trials and all, and she planned to break out. I don't know how, but the trial was also timed-" Ron began speaking in hushed tones.

"She and that Dave man were working together, I know it!" Hermione believed this fiercely, and the others looked convinced as well.

Ron continued, "The trial was timed, and she snuck out of there at the time when everyone was in class, and the classes were just beginning. She knew she would have sufficient time to get out of there before classes finished, and so no one would see her. Now would be the only time to come back because by later today, everyone will be looking for her. She thought her little helpers would knock us out long enough for her to run! She knocked McGonagall out to ensure that she would be able to get into the castle easily."

Both Harry and Hermione had to admit that the theory was strong.

They turned a corner, and delved deeper into the heart of the maze that was made up of dank, dusty, wet, dungeon walls. At the last turn, Hermione looked at them, conveying _"Shh, the storage room is right there, be quiet!"_

They, of course, knew where they were - it was near the potions room.

"How does she know this other route, do you think?" asked Ron, addressing Harry in a whisper. "It's like she has lived here her entire life!" Harry simply shrugged, and raised his wand.

Ron followed suit, and they rounded the corridor as one. They went into the storage room, and found Rawlings. She was stuffing jars and things into a large bag. She hadn't heard them.

"This is too easy," thought Harry, as he cast his charm, Ron cast his, and Hermione cast hers.

Rawlings found herself, tied up, gagged, and hung from the ceiling, and as she couldn't speak, set two furious eyes on each member of the trio in turn.

"We're taking you to Azkaban, Rawlings, where you belong"

Suddenly, her wand came up from her sleeve, and Ron and Harry were out cold. She had stupefied them!

Hermione turned back to her ex-Transfiguration teacher angrily.

"You've always hated me! Why not knock _me _out?" she asked, a bit hysterically.

"It's more fun to kill you if you're awake."

Hermione's wand flew out of her grasp for a moment, but she concentrated for a moment, and it fell back into her hands.

"Neat trick, why don't you teach me?" Said Rawlings, circling Hermione even in the small space the room provided.

"I thought you were supposed to be the teacher… or do you refuse to do anything not directly related to the Dark Arts, or becoming the next Voldemort?"

That set Rawlings off, and Hermione was suddenly being forced to duel in the tiny space. She was barely aware of knocking over the tiny glass bottles lining the shelves.

It was the toughest fight she had been in, even in the war. She usually had more space to move around in, but here movement was limited.

Rawlings looked straight into Hermione's eyes, and spoke, not ceasing in her spells.

"You always were too smart for your own good, weren't you? I know about you and Severus, I know about your parents, and all about you. You see, I have had my sights on achieving the success the Dark Lord failed in getting for a while. Without you, I have no "chosen one" who would stop me. It's always you, isn't it? You always seem to pop up when I need to do something! All those times you interrupted important floo calls with questions about Transfiguration. I hate you, but it's alright because now you're going to die."

The spell speed increased drastically, and Hermione found her guard slipping. Then, she thought about everything Rawlings had just said (a feat in itself, as she was in the middle of a very demanding duel), and she replied.

"I am not the chosen one, but I _will _defeat you the way my friends and I defeated Voldemort. It's all old news, anyways. Go do something productive with your life, become a clown, write a book. Just. Don't. Mess. With. Us."

And with that, the battle was over. Rawlings slumped back against the wall and slid down slowly. She was stunned, but Hermione didn't plan on letting her out until she was safely stowed away in Azkaban.

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><p><strong>It's been a long time since I've updated this, and I apologize. You've all been awesome with reviewing and have helped me get this far in the story. I hope this chapter was okay. I'll do the next few soon, I promise there will be no more three-month gaps in between chapters.<strong>

**Review?**


	33. Part XXXIII

Hermione looked around the room after walking over to pull the door open. She noticed that there were students walking around the corridors, meaning they were switching classes and moving from one to the next. Not many noticed her, because they were hidden in the shade that fell between two lamps up on the walls. She wondered for a moment where Severus was, and if he had made it to St. Mungo's in time to heal McGonagall. If he hadn't, she didn't know what she would do.

Minerva had been someone to be respected back before she was eleven, when the woman had come to bring the Hogwarts Letter. She was good with children – if a bit stern – and she was a wonderful teacher. To lose her – it was unthinkable.

There was a tingling coming from an unidentifiable source on her chest, which was what compelled Hermione to look down. What she saw shocked and horrified her!

There was a blue light emerging from her chest, and it was pulsing in time with her heartbeat. She knew that because it felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat, and it was beating madly. What kind of curse was this? It seemed that Rawlings had managed to send a time-delayed curse, so Hermione hadn't even noticed it.

She felt a tightening feeling crawling over her skin; it was crawling from around her belly-button to her ribs. Slowly, she could feel it spreading over her arms and legs, and felt paralyzed for the few moments that she still held her consciousness. She was frozen. The last thing she thought before she felt her lungs screaming - and being denied - oxygen was: _Where's Severus?_

And then her heart slowed down. She was conscious - in some part of her brain, she was pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what she could do. The pulse that was still beating in her ears sounded steady, but slower than it should be. She figured it out moments later, when she felt the magic in the halls of Hogwarts flicker around her. The light was stealing her power. She could feel it sucking it out steadily, like a leech. Then, she could breathe again. _Why was this necessary?_ She wondered this for a moment, before she forced herself to refocus and think logically about how she could get out.

Unfortunately, Rawlings decided to take that moment to stir in her bindings. Hermione heard it, which meant at least one of her senses still worked. That was comforting, at least. Another thing that she was grateful for was that she had put Rawlings' wand out of reach, and that he knots had been secured with a spell that recognized her magic. That and a safety word. She knew that Rawlings would be stuck until either Hermione died - taking her magic with her -, or someone found them. Hopefully, the second option would be the first to occur.

Besides, she was Hermione Granger, she was not about to give her life up in front of a barely-competent witch. If she hadn't done so with Bellatrix torturing her, there was no way she would do so with this false imposter. There was no way she would.

So Hermione knew she was being weakened by the new spell - curse -, but if she could still hear, it was only logical that her eyes also worked. She wasn't able to move at the moment, so she couldn't test out if she could still feel touch, and she wasn't particularly ready to taste the floor at the moment. So she tried to lift her eyelids. It took extreme effort, but she was determined. Nothing could stop Hermione Granger when she was determined.

She opened them - just barely cracked them open, really. Hermione saw the floor and growled deep in her chest. She knew it was unlikely that she would be able to turn over, so she was well and truly stuck. She couldn't even try to use magic in fear that the spell would take it all.

So she waited. As time went on, she could hear Rawlings struggling with the ropes and the blindfold, but Hermione didn't feel guilty in the least. In fact, she was rather proud of her skills with a wand. She was rather good, wasn't she?

Hermione waited and waited, until finally someone spoke.

"Hermione?"

Ron! He was awake, her saviour! Hopefully he would be able to see her lying on the floor like this, and not think that she had gone off by herself. That was all lovely _wishful_ thinking, so she stopped it at once. She tried to say something, but it was of no use, because the best she could do was a slight whimper.

In any case, it seemed that Ron had heard her, and he was flipping her onto her back.

"Hermione? Hermione! No, NO! Tell me you're not dead, do something!" his pleas were becoming hysterical, but there was nothing Hermione could do in this state. If she were awake, she would have hit Ron upside the head for wasting precious time crying instead of doing something to solve the problem.

Thankfully, he seemed to get a grip on himself.

Turning to Harry, who was now awake (if the groans were any indication), he spoke. "Hey, Harry. How do you think we should take them to St. Mungo's, they're out cold. I hope she's only... Besides, we can't leave Rawlings here to be found and freed by someone."

Harry rushed over, and Hermione felt him lean over her. She wanted to do something, anything to tell them that she was awake and perfectly fine, but there was nothing she could do.

"Err... we can't appartate in the castle, Ron."

'I know, but we can't go to Pomfrey, she's too far."

"Why don't… we use the floo in Snape's quarters?"

"You're brilliant!"

Hermione cringed inside as they dropped her onto the floor to go investigate in the room. She was waiting patiently when they came back, covered in soot. She groaned inwardly as they bumped her against the door of Severus' quarters, and then as they shoved her into the floo carelessly. It was painful, but she fell on something soft. She had known St. Mungo's had soft carpets, but this really was soft.

No, no! There was no way that she could let herself fall asleep now, no way that she could let Rawlings win. So she battled against herself and her eyes which threatened to slide shut every few seconds.

"Look, Mary. We have another one." A female voice cut through her sleep-fuzzed thoughts, and she tried to move. She managed a groan, which meant the curse was wearing off. That was good news.

"Oh dear, she doesn't look too good. What kind of spell is this? It looks quite... _dark_." That was the voice of the second mediwitch, probably Mary.

They carried her to a bed and preformed all manner of spells on her in order to make sure her lungs would not stop, and the same on her heart. They also used one to regulate her temperature. Lastly, she heard a mumble of:

"I've never heard of it, we'll need to call someone to come and help us cure this. I know we can." Mary sounded determined, and Hermione felt secure in the knowledge that she would be cured.

The floo activated again, Hermione saw that out of the corner of her eye - a flash of green, and then her vision blacked out completely.

"She needs rest."

The next time Hermione awoke, she felt much better. She realized that she had woken to the sound of a door slamming, one nearby. She opened her eyelids, glad to find it was much easier. Severus was standing in the doorway looking dark and menacing, glaring at the nurses in the room. Though Hermione knew they were older than Severus by at least a decade, they squeaked and went into their little office, leaving him alone.

_What if he was here to kill me? They would let him. Spineless little..._

"Hermione? Are you awake?" Severus' stern expression had melted away in the two seconds it had taken for the mediwitches to evacuate the room.

She nodded and tried to speak, but her throat was hoarse.

"I came as soon as I heard. I was with Minerva at the time."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in worry, trying to convey her thoughts to him with facial expressions.

Thankfully, she was saved the agony of speaking as he seemed to understand.

"She's perfectly alright. In fact, before the news arrived, we were speaking about you."

_Me?_

"She had commented that you were looking for a job at Hogwarts. Would you be open to the idea of being Transfiguration Professor, we seem to have need of a new teacher in that subject." Severus' eyebrows quirked up in sync with one corner of his mouth, as if he found the topic amusing. It was probably her shocked expression. "Don't worry, Hermione. We'll talk about once you're all healed. Are you alright? They couldn't figure out the curse for hours!"

Hermione nodded. It was true, she wasn't feeling any pain. She experimentally tried to wiggle her fingers and toes, but found she couldn't.

"W-ahem, Why can't I move my arms or legs?" she said, though her voice cracked and wobbled as she spoke.

"You were too worn out due to the magic loss for them to be able to experiment on getting rid of that side effect. Once you're cleared in terms of energy, they will be able to free you. It was Rawlings, wasn't it?"

She nodded.

"She was put in Azkaban - for real this time - this morning. Shacklebolt was Chief Warlock at this hearing, though. I wonder what that's about."

"You," Hermione nodded her head towards him "Are losing your touch."

He was puzzled, and Hermione decided it was safe to tell him.

"He's a werewolf."

Severus' eyebrows vanished into his dark hair, which Hermione desperately wanted to run her fingers through. Then, he nodded.

"So you're alright?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, and he patted her shoulder awkwardly. Hermione smiled up at him, laughing silently. He gave her a small smile back.

"Take a nap; you need to regain your strength."

He walked away from her, looking back once, and then entered the nurses' office. She could hear words being exchanged about her lack of blanket, and how she was bound to become sick like this. She heard him ask about the details of the spell that had hit her, and she watched as he nodded solemnly.

"How long 'till she's back to her full magical ability?" he asked, stepping out.

They looked at him sadly, "Time will tell, Sir."

The door closed behind him and he came back to Hermione's bed. Severus took a seat, lifted his feet up onto the bed, and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt the heat from his body envelop her, and she felt herself drift off to sleep. She could feel him humming a slow tune into her ear as his hand rubbed her shoulder, and she felt a shiver go down her spine as he trailed his fingers ever a ticklish area. She could feel him chuckle, and then she was no longer awake.

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><p><strong>Hey, me again! So... I've been waiting for this chapter for a long time! Finally, I got to write it! I think the story will only consist of another chapter or two, and then possibly an epilogue. <strong>

**If I've left any loose ends, let me know, please so that I can try and resolve them!**

**Review?**


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